3$?r\ JH~ 



THE 



BOOK ABOVE ALL; 



OR, 



THE HOLY BIBLE 



THE ONLY SENSIBLE, INFALLIBLE AND DIYINE AUTHORITY 
ON EABTH. 



A SERIES OF DISCOURSES. 

y 

BY THE LATE T. H. STOCKTON, D.D., 

LATE CHAPLAIN TO THE U. S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 



ON THE TEXT, 

' Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." — Psalm cxxxviii. 2. 






PHILADELPHIA: 
CLAXTON, KEMSEN & HAFFELFINGER, 

Nos. 819 & 821 MARKET STREET. 

1871. 



.51 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by 

THOMAS H. STOCKTON, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at "Washington. 



PREFACE. 



" The times seem to call, with unusual emphasis and 
interest, for something of this kind. Sceptical develop- 
ments, even among ecclesiastical and collegiate authori- 
ties, make it painfully evident that the true character of 
the Bible is misunderstood by many of its professional 
teachers. "With these mischievous perverters of great 
providential advantages, it is too plain to be longer 
doubted that 'science, falsely so called/ has absorbed 
the attention and confidence due only to the Records of 
Divine Inspiration.' ' 

Several years since, the author of these sermons having 
in view their immediate publication, wrote the above 
sentence, but was prevented from accomplishing his de- 
sign by reason of sickness, which terminated in death. 
It therefore becomes a duty for others to perform — not 
only of loving affection to the departed, but also of sup- 
plying one of the great wants of the living — of meeting 
one of the great necessities of the times. If this want 
was felt years ago, because of the existing antagonism to 
the Word of God ; surely, much more must it be felt 
now, in view of the recent developments in our own 
country, especially regarding the bitter hostility of 
the Roman Catholic Church against its use in our own 
schools. 

Well would it be for us to know, that this first demand 



IV PREFACE. 

of the Church of Rome upon Protestant United States, 
is but the beginning of a series of demands of similar 
import, which refer not only to the Public Schools, but to 
all other Public Institutions, including the various State 
Legislatures, the Army and Navy, the United States 
Senate and the House of Representatives — requiring the 
suppression of the Bible and the dismissal of the Chap- 
lains, and thus the total abolition of all public religious 
observances, unless performed under the direction of the 
Pope at Rome. And this same Roman Catholic Church, 
which w T ould exclude the Bible from the public institu- 
tions of a Protestant Country, would just as cheerfully 
sweep it away from the entire land, and substitute the 
darkness and despotism that have marked her entire 
history, and which are essential elements in her govern- 
ment. 

It will be observed that the last sermon in this series, 
the tenth, is composed of three parts. It was the inten- 
tion of the author to condense these into the limits of one 
sermon, but this was too much for his feeble health, and 
lest an attempt by other hands to accomplish the same 
object, should fail in anywise, and as each one contains 
valuable information that could not easily be dispensed 
with, it has been decided to present the three parts 
separately. Lastly, all the additional matter has been 
in constant demand for years, and cannot be now ob- 
tained excepting in the present volume. 

T. H. S. 

Philadelphia, 1870. 



CONTENTS. 



FIKST DISCOUESE. 

TAGE 

The Bible and other Current Authorities — Eeview of the 
Character of Creation and Providence, the Church and 
the State 1 

SECOND DISCOUESE. 
The Bible and other Current Authorities — Eeview of the 
Claims of the Four Preceding Authorities 25 

THIED DISCOUESE. 
The Bible and other Ancient Authorities — Elect Men, Elect 
Angels, Christ 43 

FOUETH DISCOUESE. 
The Current Condition of the Bible — Its Sole Visible Su- 
premacy 66 

FIFTH DISCOUESE. 
The Bible Abroad in all the World — Never Again to be 
Concealed 89 

SIXTH DISCOUESE. 
The Bible Eightly Abroad in all the World — Intended and 
Deserves to be so 108 

SEVENTH DISCOUESE. 

The Bible Opposed — Ecclesiastical Opposition 125 

1* v 



VI CONTENTS. 

EIGHTH DISCOUKSE. pAGE 

The Bible Opposed — Civil and Social Opposition 167 

NINTH DISCOUKSE. 
The Bible Opposed — Personal Opposition 197 

TENTH DISCOUKSE. 

IN THREE PARTS. 

The Triumph of the Bible over all Opposition 229 

Address Delivered before the Bible Societies of Cincinnati, 
Philadelphia and New York 297 

The Imperishable and Saving Words of Christ; — 
Delivered in the National Hall of Kepresentatives, Sab- 
bath, March 18, 1860. Text: Matt. xxiv. 35 , 320 

Address on the National Fast-Day — Near the close of 
President Buchanan's Administration, and after the Seces- 
sion of South Carolina. Delivered in the same place, 
Friday, January 4, 1861 344 

American Sovereignity — A Short Sermon on Romans 
xiii. 1. Delivered in the same place, Sabbath, July 28, 
1861 372 

Why Could Not We Cast Him Out ? — A Sermon on the 
National Fast-Day, Thursday, April 30, 1863. Delivered in 
St. John's Lutheran Church, Philadelphia 390 



SERMON I. 



THE BIBLE AND OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 



"T7wn hast magnified thy word above all thy name. 
Ps. cxxxviii. 2. 

The great questions of the age relate to govern- 
ment. This important fact is equally prominent 
and impressive in church and state, among rulers 
and people, in all the world. To the contem- 
plative Christian it is a fact hopefully significant 
of the speedy approach of predicted and happier 
times, — the times of Him who is "the blessed and 
only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of 
lords," — the one perfect and immortal Sovereign, 
who, even though many of them know it not, con- 
centres in Himself "the desire of all nations." 

Allow me to state and answer a few of the 
questions referred to, in simple expression of my 
own convictions, in respectful assumption of your 
sanction, and as suitably introductory to the dis- 



2 THE BIBLE AND 

cussion of the proposition which I shall afterward 
affirm. 

Is man capable of self-government ? Not at all. 
Is he, therefore, of necessity subject to authority? 
This is the only alternative theory. The philo- 
sophy of our nature and the history of the world 
abundantly sustain these assertions. 

By what authority, then, ought man to be 
governed ? By Divine authority alone ; and this 
for reasons both absolute and relative. It is the 
authority of Him who made man, — on whom he 
is dependent, and to whom he is responsible. 
Moreover, it is the only duly-qualified authority. 

But has this authority been proclaimed? It 
has been proclaimed. Where does it reside ? In 
the Bible. How is it exercised? Through pri- 
vate judgment, or the conscience of its subjects. 
"What is its tendency? To personal and social 
improvement, — to entire and eternal redemp- 
tion. 

What, then, are its essential and formal charac- 
teristics? Essentially, as proceeding from God, 
it is infallible ; formally, as adapted to man, it is 
sensible. 

These last particulars bring us directly to the 
special theme selected for this occasion. 

Here, then, I affirm — as a fact susceptible of 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 3 

easy demonstration and most useful employ- 
ment — that 

The Bible is the only sensible, infallible, 
and Divine authority on earth; i.e. the only 

AUTHORITY COMBINING THESE DISTINCTIONS. 

By authority, I mean — a rule of government, — a 
standard of personal and social life. 

By sensible authority, I mean — an authority in 
a material form, and which, therefore, addresses its 
subjects through the bodily senses. 

By infallible authority, I mean — an authority 
so constituted as to be, and so guarded as to re- 
main, unerring in its decisions. 

By Divine authority, I mean — an authority duly 
attested as a revelation from God. 

By the combination of these three distinctions in 
this authority, I mean — not only to show that in 
this consists the peculiarity of the Bible, but also — 
to imply, as the great consequence of this pecu- 
liarity, the superiority of the Bible to every other 
authority, making it fit to be confessed as the 

PROPER AND SUPREME CONSTITUTION AND LAW OF THE 

WORLD. 

FOUR OTHER AUTHORITIES. 

Now, there are four other agencies, which, to 
wme extent, may be acknowledged as authorities, 



4 THE BIBLE AND 

and which, indeed, on account of their combining 
two of the three distinctions* just noticed, are re- 
garded by many as rivals of the Bible, and by 
others are preferred to the Bible. They are 
sensible authorities. They are, more or less, 
Divine authorities. But they are not infallible 
authorities. Their original condition, the original 
condition of man himself, and, consequently, the 
relations between them and man, have been so 
changed, that they can no longer be reasonably 
considered, either separately or jointly, as entitled 
to sovereign control. 

These four authorities are of two classes: — 
natural and social; two in each class. The na- 
tural are — creation and providence ; the social — 
the church and the state. The two former are 
wholly Divine; the two latter, partly Divine and 
partly human. That these solemn and imposing 
institutions may not be treated too lightly, — as 
well as in justice to the exclusive proposition 
which has been submitted for demonstration, — 
it is necessary to review their character and 
claims. Their character involves both their con- 
stitution and condition. Their claims are of 
interest chiefly in relation to the single point 
of infallibility. Let us now look at their cha- 
racter. 



X OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 5 

I. THE CHARACTER OF CREATION. 

What, then, is the true notion of creation? 
What is the ideal of its constitution? Let me 
try to give a fair answer. 

Created things compose two classes: — the un- 
living, or the worlds and their purely physical 
developments; and the living, or the animal and 
intellectual orders. 

From the first class, separately considered, it is 
impossible to educe a design which seems worthy 
of the Creator. For of what advantage could it 
be to the Deity to fill the solitude of His infinite 
spiritual glory with merely material forms and 
motions, sounds and colorings ? And, if no ad- 
vantage to Him, it could have been of no advan- 
tage at all ; for the lifeless elements would have 
felt no thrill of joy. 

In like manner, from the simple animal exist- 
ence of the second class we are at a loss to infer 
a becoming purpose. For, again, what adequate 
pleasure could the Almighty have found in pre- 
siding over an endless succession of creatures so 
humble ? — eternally unconscious of His being and 
unimprovable by His care? And if it be sup- 
posed that their own enjoyment was a sufficient 
reason for their existence, still, it may be asked, 



6 THE BIBLE AND 

But why the manner of their existence? Why 
their occupancy of a system so lavishly supplied 
beyond all their wants and so magnificently ex- 
panded beyond their little comprehension ? What 
to them would have been the roll of the sea, the 
rise of the mountains, the meteors of the air, the 
changes of the moon, the apparitions of the 
comets, and the boundless sweep of the sun with 
all its train among the innumerable stars ? In a 
word, take from the universe the intellect which 
illustrates it far more than the blaze of all its 
fadeless fires, and there is nothing left, in the bare 
contemplation of senseless spheres and thought- 
less ephemera, at all correspondent with the im- 
plied dignity of creative exertion. 

The true notion of creation, therefore, is de- 
rived from its spiritual connections. It is the 
splendid ideal of a spiritual universe to which the 
material universe should be subordinate and sub- 
servient. The spiritual was to come between the 
Divine and the natural ; to vindicate the former 
and elevate the latter. It was to be constitu- 
tionally allied to both, conscious of its relations 
to both, and thoroughly sympathetic with the 
attributes of both. 

Now, it is not irrational or irreverent to suppose 
that God would take pleasure in the existence of 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 7 

spiritual beings. They were to be like Himself; 
to be His children ; and to be His heirs. They 
were to think as He thinks, feel as He feels, and 
act as He acts. Moreover, while thus capable of 
direct communion with Him, they were also to 
commune with Him indirectly. Because of the 
difference between the finite and the infinite, be- 
cause of their equality and sympathy with each 
other, and because of their investiture, more or 
less refined, with material forms, they might de- 
rive advantage and pleasure from the whole infe- 
rior creation ; not only perceiving and admiring 
its physical beauty, sublimity, and variety, but 
also understanding and appreciating its nobler 
moral significancy. To them, every opening blos- 
som, every flying bird, every floating cloud, every 
rolling world, was to express some thought, some 
sentiment, some law, of its Maker; and so all 
nature was to be suspended around them as a 
grand gallery of instruction, a vast artistic system 
of permanent symbols of the Divine perfections. 

And here it is that the great principle of infal- 
lible authority first becomes sensibly impressive. 
For no error can be properly supposed, either in 
the original significancy of natural objects, or in 
the unperverted interpretation of their observers ; 
and, of course, no imperfection can be admitted 



8 THE' BIBLE AND 

in the obligations of whatever truth or duty might 
be so revealed. With particular reference to our 
own race, it may be added, that this notion of 
creation necessarily includes the original perfect 
adaptation of the human constitution to the study 
of this symbolic system, and to the enjoyment of 
all its harmonious felicities. 

But what is the current condition of creation ? 
Does it answer to the notion, does it realize the 
ideal, thus described? Certainly, so far as our 
relations extend, it does not. What then?" Has 
not the earth been changed ? Has not man been 
changed ? And have not, consequently, their re- 
lations been changed ? If we deny a change, then, 
arguing from facts as they are, we must conclude 
that the ideal never was realized ; that perfection 
never existed ; that God himself is imperfect, or 
else that, being perfect, He preferred an imperfect 
to a perfect world, a distorted image of Himself 
to a faithful reflection, and the error and wretched- 
ness of His children to their knowledge and bliss. 
If, on the other hand, a change be admitted, — and 
surely we all agree in this admission, — then the 
inference is easy and the truth is plain. We need 
not pause to inquire whether this change has 
chiefly affected the symbol or the observer. Be 
this as it may, the result is the same. Crea- 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. \) 

tion, to us, is no longer a source of infallible 
authority. 

Since the change referred to, every student of 
nature has erred, both because of the defects of 
his authority and because of his own incompe- 
tency. As long as the influence of that change 
remains, every student must continue to err. 
That nature still teaches some truth, and that 
man, impaired as are his powers, may yet learn it, 
are suggestions not at all at variance with these 
statements. That many and ample systems of 
natural history, natural science, natural philo- 
sophy, natural law, and natural religion, have 
been compiled from accessible and appreciable 
facts, are remembrances of no force against the 
argument. Some truth is not what we want. We 
want all the truth that properly belongs to the 
form of revelation we are studying, and that with- 
out any admixture of error. 

And as for the ample systems just alluded to, 
what are they, even at the best, but representa- 
tions, more or less exact, of things as they are ? 
They have neither history nor prophecy of a better 
estate. They supply no deficiency, they remedy 
no incompetency ; their whole character is deter- 
mined by the facts and principles of the condition 
in which they originate. They have no power to 



10 THE BIBLE AND 

change the condition. They do not create facts, 
but investigate them; they do not inspire prin- 
ciples, but develop them. Besides, even the facts 
which they do investigate are not such, generally 
speaking, as involve our highest interests ; neither 
are the principles which they develop those which 
enable us to secure these interests. Nor only so ; 
but, even within the inferior range to which they 
are limited, their facts and principles, to a great 
extent, are perversions of the original intention. 
And so it comes out, that the seeming demon- 
strations of the fulness and certainty of natural 
wisdom are the real demonstrations of its un- 
certainty and emptiness. For natural history 
has no beginning; and natural science, no 
end ; and natural philosophy, no explanation ; 
and natural law, no force ; and natural religion, 
no salvation. 

II. THE CHARACTER OF PROVIDENCE. 

What, then, is the true notion of providence ? 
What is the ideal of its constitution ? Here, also, 
I seek a fair answer. 

Creation shows us God in action thousands of 
years ago, and does not forbid the thought that 
He has been at rest, afar off, ever since. But 
providence brings Him near to us, and keeps Him 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 11 

always with us and always employed in our 
behalf. 

The true notion of providence may be thus 
stated:— It is an agency which includes thorough 
knowledge of the two great classes of created 
things, and the disposition and ability to make 
the best possible use of this knowledge ; that is, 
it knows all the wants of all living things, and all 
the resources of all unliving things, and how to 
make these resources supply those wants, and 
is actually engaged every moment in the uni- 
versal application of this knowledge, according 
to circumstances, in all wisdom, power, and 
grace. 

Animal wants supplied, the notion rises to the 
supply of spiritual wants. It contemplates the 
perpetual, interchanging display of all the phe- 
nomena of creation ; heightening their symbolic 
character, varying their relative uses, and in every 
way multiplying their power. In regard to this 
world, the moral impressiveness of providence 
is confined to our own race. Whether the par- 
ticular instrument it employs be small or great, — 
a dew-drop or an ocean, a pebble or a continent, a 
bubble or a sky ; and whether it affect a flower or 
a fleet, a child or a nation, a worm or a world, — 
by man alone its intellectual indications are dis- 

2*- 



12 THE BIBLE AND 

cerned, and on him alone is exerted its most 
important influence. 

There can be no doubt that providence was 
designed to be a ministry of bliss. Not only — 
for it is always this — was it intended to be a 
ministry of love. We have learned from another 
source that "God is love ;" and, therefore, that, 
in chastening as well as in reward, His provi- 
dence is proof of His love. But it was originally 
designed to be the ministry of love to the sinless; 
and, of course, to be the ministry of joy alone. 
Had this design escaped interruption, then, with 
no symbolic error, no administrative error, and 
no error in observation, from sun to sun, from 
sabbath to sabbath, from moon to moon, from 
harvest to harvest, and from the universal fulness 
of one perfect year to that of the next, this glo- 
rious superintendency would have continued to 
this day the practical demonstrations of its in- 
fallible authority. Like the unclouded light of 
the sun, the wisdom of God would have shone on 
all things ; like the unchilled heat of the sun, the 
goodness of God would have glowed in all things ; 
and as the sun, generous as it is, does not lose its 
light or heat, but sees them glorified in all growth, 
and bloom, and life, so all the Divine perfections, 
already illustrated in the stabilities of creation, 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 13 

would have disclosed new charms and dispersed 
new delights by means of the ceaseless alterna- 
tions of providence. 

But what is the condition of providence now? 
Certainly it has been changed. It is not corre- 
spondent with its constitutional ideal. Its ministry 
has become, to a great extent, a ministry of deso- 
lation and woe. 

True, it is still easy to refer to fair and attractive 
scenes. That eye must be dim indeed which does 
not flash as it turns toward them ; that ear must 
be dull indeed which does not ring with their 
blended music ; and that heart must be cold in- 
deed which does not quicken with their myriad 
living sympathies. But that is poor philosophy, 
as well as poor poetry, which, in its devotion to 
abstract good, overlooks or denies the relative 
contrast of evil. In this world there can be little 
light, or no beauty, where there is no shadow. 
The desert is exceedingly illustrious ; but, in the 
paradise, every hill, and tree, and flower, has its 
shade as well as its sheen. What sort of a 
painter would he be who should leave out the 
shadows ? 

In all cases it is unwise to disregard distinguish- 
ing facts. In this case it is peculiarly so. The 
ministry of providence is no longer an exclusive 



14 THE BIBLE AND 

ministry of bliss. We must admit a change. 
This is not in the qualifications of providence. 
Providence knows all wants as well as ever. 
Providence knows all resources as well as ever. 
Providence is as able to adapt the latter to the 
supply of the former as ever. Providence is as 
full of love as ever. The change is in the mode 
of operation, and is occasioned by moral causes. 
Wants are only partially supplied. Eesources are 
only partially employed. Love often assumes the 
appearance of wrath. Punishment is as common 
as reward. Sometimes virtue seems to be punished 
and vice rewarded ; for the good suffer and the 
evil rejoice. Impressions, therefore, are contra- 
dictory, and the mind is perplexed. Even with 
the aid of revelation, it is acknowledged to be 
difficult to understand providence. To say the 
least that can be said, it is far from being an 
infallible authority. 

III. THE CHARACTER OF THE CHURCH. 

What, then, is the true notion of the church ? 
What is the ideal of its constitution ? 

I answer, — The church is a religious society, 
governed by Divine revelation alone. This state- 
ment, in my judgment, embodies all that is essen- 
tial to the constitution of the church. I will not 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 15 

say that there cannot be a church without certain 
articles, officers, or ordinances. Neither will I say- 
that any association must be a church which has 
certain articles, officers, or ordinances. But this 
I do say, — that no society can be a church unless it 
be a religious society, governed by Divine revela- 
tion, and by this alone ; and, further, that every 
such society must be a church. There never was, 
is not now, and never can be, any other true 
church than one of this description. Nor can I 
hesitate a moment to add, that, when I speak of 
its being governed by Divine revelation alone, I 
mean by its own understanding of that revelation ; 
only requiring that it exercise its understanding, 
with due reverence toward God and due respect 
for the whole Christian brotherhood, in ardent, 
patient, studious, prayerful, practical desire to be 
led into all truth by the Spirit of truth. All this, 
indeed, is logically and philosophically involved 
in the proposition itself. 

To me it is clear that the original intention was 
that the whole human race should constitute the 
one undivided membership of the church. Church 
and state, if designed to be separately and dif- 
ferently organized, were always to exist in close 
union and perfect harmony. Their separation, 
however expedient now, could not have been 



16 THE BIBLE AND 

demanded by the primitive condition of things. 
This expediency is an effect of the introduction 
of evil. Revelation, in whatever form furnished 
and to whatever organs restricted, would have 
qualified these organs for the exercise of infal- 
lible authority. The multiplying generations, 
with no tendency to error in themselves, with 
nothing to suggest it in creation or providence, 
and with nothing to occasion it among their social 
instructors, would have continued forever to en- 
large their acquaintance with truth, and to enrich 
their character and estate with the blessings of 
obedience. Every birth into the world would 
have been a birth into the church. The prattle 
of the child of a year or two old would have been 
readily inspired with the worshipful spirit of the 
patriarch of a thousand years, and the softest 
lisping of its all-believing love might have been 
more touching to the heart of God than the 
sublimest anthem of angels ever sung before His 
throne. 

But what is the condition of the church now ? 
How does it compare with the ideal of its con- 
stitution ? 

Its whole history is a history of change. Once 
and again, and again and again, — to say nothing of 
human changes, — God himself has changed it ; not, 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 17 

indeed, the principle of it, but the form of it. The 
principle of it — the sole sovereignty of revelation 
— is as much identified with His own honor and 
the good of the church as ever, and, of course, is 
cherished by Him as sacredly as ever ; and all the 
formal changes alluded to have had a progressive 
tendency, as, indeed, the influence of them still 
has, toward the universal and everlasting esta- 
blishment of this principle. 

At present, however, after all the struggles of 
nearly six thousand years, the most extended 
boundaries of the church, instead of including the 
whole current generation, comprise only a small 
minority. Instead of being closely united with 
the state, the very theory of such union has to 
contend with increasing prejudices, occasioned 
by the offensiveness of the miserable caricature 
unions of apostate churches with apostate states ; 
and, therefore, the best practical condition of the 
church is that of entire separation from the state. 
Again : instead of being united in its own mem- 
bership, the church is broken into almost innu- 
merable sharp-edged fragments, nearly every one 
of which it is dangerous to handle, even in a 
charitable effort to restore them to their proper 
connections and original integrity. But the sad- 
dest part of the answer is that which accounts for 



18 THE BIBLE AND 

all that has gone before. I mean that the church, 
as a general fact, is not governed by Divine reve- 
lation; i.e. not by Divine revelation alone. 

Certainly it has no immediate, personal inspira- 
tion, — no peculiar, official prerogative, in virtue 
of which it can independently ascertain the Divine 
will. In a word, it has no infallible authority 
apart from the Bible ; and it is not governed by 
the Bible alone. In some cases it trusts to its 
own understanding, without due efforts to secure 
a correct understanding ; in others, it alternates 
between its understanding and its authorities ; 
and in others, it confides implicitly in its authori- 
ties without any understanding. In all these 
cases it falls into manifest and egregious errors ; 
demonstrating that it is not itself infallible, either 
in whole or in part, and, moreover, that it has 
neglected, misunderstood, or perverted, the infal- 
lible authority of the Bible. 

IV. THE CHARACTER OF THE STATE. 

What, then, is the true notion of the state ? 
What is its constitutional ideal ? 

I answer, — The state is a secular society, go- 
verned by Divine revelation alone. It has been 
already intimated, that church and state, if at all 
intended originally as separate institutions, were 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 19 

nevertheless designed for close sympathetic union. 
It is doubtful, indeed, whether a separate state 
organization would be necessary, or could even 
conveniently exist, in a perfectly holy and happy 
condition. Rather, it is probable that such art 
institution would not exist under such circum- 
stances. 

There is no intimation of a separate state 
organization in heaven. There " the King in his 
beauty" is, at the same time, the "Head of the 
church, which is his body, the fulness of him that 
filleth all in all." 

Dominion was given to Adam, indeed, even 
before the Sabbath was instituted. The sceptre 
was placed in his hand before the censer. But 
this dominion was not that of a man over men. 
It was dominion over the inferior orders. Still, 
it is remarkable that the existence of the ani- 
mal races in association with man — especially as 
affected by the introduction of sin and death into 
our world — is among the chief facts, to say the 
least of it, which render a modification of sove- 
reignty necessary here, which, in the absence of 
such facts, is not necessary in heaven. In a mul- 
titude of ways and to a greatly-controlling extent, 
these inferior creatures, both living and dead, — 
from the cochineal-insect up to the elephant and 



20 THE BIBLE AND 

the whale, — enter into state affairs. What would 
the arts and sciences, the agriculture, manufac- 
tures, and commerce of the world be without 
them? And what would the state be without 
these arts and sciences? — without agriculture, 
manufactures, and commerce ? 

But there is no such dominion in heaven. 
Imagination has transferred many earthly things 
to that blissful region, but none of these. A sky 
is there, with only one cloud, and that merely to 
shade the throne and show the rainbow. Moun- 
tains are there for sublimity, hills for picturesque 
variety, and vales for beauty. A city is there 
with innumerable mansions for eternal homes. 
A paradise is there with inexhaustible resources 
of perpetual delights, with living winds, living 
waters, living trees, and living flowers, blowing, 
and flowing, and waving, and breathing forever. 
But, not to degrade the allusion, it is enough to 
say that, except man himself, imagination leaves 
the living things of earth where it finds them. A 
pagan or a Mohammedan heaven, indeed, may 
not be so select ; but the Christian heaven is in- 
finitely higher and purer than theirs. No mock- 
ing-bird sings on the Tree of Life ; no gold-fish 
gleams in the River of Life ; and no lion over- 
looks, from any tufted lair, the Plains of Life. 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 21 

Not even a lamb is there, — the symbol of Jesus. 
Not even a dove is there, — the symbol of the 
Holy Ghost. Heaven is the home of intellect. 
Heaven is the home of affection. Heaven is the 
home of knowledge and wisdom, of holiness and 
joy. Nothing less than a saint or an angel treads 
the golden pavement, traces the fadeless paradise, 
approaches the throne of glory, or flies away from 
it, on missions of mercy and peace, to other 
worlds. There, at least, — if such distinctive 
names are not utterly unknown, — the church and 
state are one. 

But what is the condition of the state here ? 
What is it in comparison with its proper constitu- 
tional ideal ? 

It has become almost entirely separate from 
revelation. I cannot, indeed, say that the history 
of the state, in this connection, has been a history 
of change. There never was but one fair instance 
of the state's conjunction with and dependence 
upon Divine revelation. I allude, of course, to 
the Jewish theocracy; and that was neither of 
great duration or great expansion. With this 
exception, the state has generally remained aloof 
from revelation, and has been only indirectly 
influenced by it. 

One reason — perhaps the chief reason — of the 



22 THE BIBLE AND 

separation of nominally-Christian states from 
revelation is to be found in their general union 
with what are properly enough called the state 
churches. These churches have come between 
the state and the Bible. They have eclipsed the 
Bible, and, by so doing, have darkened the 
states. The fact that no such union exists in 
our own free and happy country is one of the 
greatest blessings we enjoy. Here there is no 
eclipsing apostasy. I will not say that there is 
no dark orb, astray from an older and melan- 
choly firmament, which would fain intrude be- 
tween our new heavens and earth. But, so far, 
there is nothing to prevent the Bible from 
shining in all its glory on all our State. So — 
thank God! — it does shine! So, God grant 
that it may continue to shine forever ! And, as 
God himself is in this light, may all the nation 
rejoice to walk in the light, loving and serving 
Him who gives it ! 

The main difference between the church and 
state, in this connection, is this : — that, while the 
acknowledgment of revelation is essential to the 
existence of the church, it is not essential to the 
existence, but merely to the perfection, of the state. 
There have always been states without revelation. 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 23 

So there are now. True, this condition will not 
always remain. The state, according to prophecy, 
is to be brought up, in some form, to its proper 
intention. For the time-being, however, it seems 
to be the plan of God, in His government of the 
world, to employ the two institutions for the ac- 
complishment of purposes which neither of them 
could fulfil alone. I mean, that the church, in- 
structed by revelation, is bound to teach what 
ought to be and will be ; while the state, in par- 
tial separateness from revelation, shows what is, 
and, for a time, must be. At present, the state, 
generally speaking, has no wisdom but human 
wisdom. Of course, it has no infallible authority. 
It needs to be taught itself. 

In hopeful conclusion of this topic, however, 
let me submit these statements. The Bible 
shows God's way alone ; the church shows God's 
way and man's way united ; the state shows 
man's way alone. The result will be the triumph 
of God's way. The Bible will secure its due 
supremacy. The church will abandon all false 
authority, obeying and exemplifying the Bible. 
The state will be merged in the church, or the 
two institutions act as departments of the same 
agency. And so, as first the star, and then the 



24 THE BIBLE AND OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 

moon, hide themselves in the sunrise, thus state 
authority, an4 church authority, as now exer- 
cised, will be lost in the boundless simplicity 
and glory of the infallible authority of the 
Bible. 



SERMON II. 



THE BIBLE AND OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 



"Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." 
Ps. cxxxviii. 2. 

In the former sermon I commenced a review of 
the character and claims of the four current au- 
thorities which are variously but vainly brought 
into competition with the Bible. The manner in 
which their character was then noticed renders it 
the less necessary now to expatiate largely on their 
claims. Let us treat them in the same order. 

I. THE CLAIMS OF CREATION. 

Creation presents no claim to infallibility, — 
except in one relation, which no change can es- 
sentially effect. I mean, the doctrine of the Di- 
vine existence, power, and sovereignty. "What- 
ever the condition of nature may be, though it 
descend from perfection through all degrees of 

25 



26 THE BIBLE AND 

imperfection, this doctrine remains unimpaired, — 
an absolute, universal, and perpetual demonstra- 
tion. The existence of evil, as well as of good, 
implies the existence of a Creator; and creation, 
whether of good or evil, implies infinite power and 
sovereignty. A demonstration, however, though 
perfect in itself, does not necessarily imply the 
ability of observers to comprehend it. 

It is a remarkable fact that Revelation, the vin- 
dicator and interpreter of Creation, makes no 
claim for it beyond this. Natural theology claims 
more; but herein is the deadly vice of natural 
theology. Not natural theologians, who are often 
the mere imitators of ancient heathen philoso- 
phers or modern scientific skeptics, but spiritual 
theologians, the sanctified oracles of thg Holy 
Ghost, are our authorities. 

The nineteenth Psalm may be cited as condens- 
ing the instruction of the Old Testament on this 
subject. Its statements are wonderfully distinct- 
ive and decisive. It consists of two parts, — the 
first referring to Creation and the second to Reve- 
lation; the former claiming all that can be justly 
claimed in behalf of nature, and the latter proving 
that God has magnified His word above nature. 
The first part opens thus : — 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 27 

" The heavens declare the glory of God : and 
the firmament showeth his handiwork" 

That is all ! The sky is contemplated in its two 
chief conditions; both demonstrating the exist- 
ence of God, but each peculiar in its testimony 
to His character: — the day-heavens, full of one 
common and all-commanding glory, declaring His 
sole and omnipotent sovereignty ; and the night- 
firmament, myriadly variegated by milder splen- 
dors, showing the diversity and delicacy of His 
wisdom and skill. The succeeding verses say no 
more. They merely amplify this opening : — 

"Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto 
night showeth knowledge." 

The days are eloquent; the nights silent. The 
days speak; the nights show. But what do the 
days speak? The same that "the heavens de- 
clare." And what do the nights show? The 
same that "the firmament showeth." And yet, 
this is not mere repetition: but "day unto day 
uttereth [this] speech;" and "night unto night 
showeth [this] knowledge," — so that every day 
learns it, and every night learns it; and every day 
teaches it, and every night teaches it; and thus 
the sublime tradition is perpetuated, without a 
moment's intermission, from age to age. 

"There is no speech nor language, where their 



28 THE BIBLE AND 

voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through 
all the earth, and their words to the end of the 
world." 

That is, the testimony, whether properly under- 
stood or not, is as universal as it is perpetual. 
Still, however, it is the same, — everywhere the 
same. There is nowhere any addition to it. So, 
in what follows, of the sun : — 

"In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun; 
which is as a bridegroom coming out of his cham- 
ber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, 
and his circuit unto the ends of it ; and there is 
nothing hid from the heat thereof." 

The sun appears gay and brilliant as a bride- 
groom, strong and swift as a racer, and with the 
whole circuit of heaven and earth before him ; 
but he does not appear as a witness to any further 
truth in regard to the Divine character. The 
testimony remains precisely as it was, — the mag- 
nificent tribute of creation to the being, power, 
and skill of the Creator, but nothing more. 

Now see how differently the second part of the 
Psalm opens. It quits the range of nature, and 
comes within the limits of inspiration. It drops 
the name of God, and substitutes that of the Lord 
or Jehovah, — a name that nature never knew, a 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 29 

name peculiar to revelation and redemption. It 
drops, also, all natural symbols, and brings us at 
once to the living word. And thus it magnifies 
the word : — 

" The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the 
soul: 

" The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise 
the simple: 

"The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing 
the heart : 

"The commandment of the Lord is pure, en- 
lightening the eyes : 

"The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for- 
ever: 

"The judgments of the Lord are true and right- 
eous altogether. 

"More to be desired are they than gold, yea, 
than much fine gold ; sweeter also than honey and 
the honey-comb.' ' 

Richer than the treasures, and more delightful 
than the pleasures, of nature ! And so the Psalm 
proceeds, closing with the prayer : — 

"Let the words of my mouth, and the medita- 
tion of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, 
Lord, my strength and my redeemer." 

The two spheres are entirely different ; and the 
superiority of the spiritual must be instantly and 



30 THE BIBLE AND 

impressively evident. Here, both the moral cha- 
racter and redeeming purposes of God are dis- 
closed. The perfections of the law reflect His 
own perfections. Its objects are His objects. 
Infinitely holy and happy in Himself, He seeks 
the holiness and happiness of mankind. All this 
is apart from nature, and above it. The heavens, 
glorious as they are, declare it not; and the firma- 
ment, beautiful as it is, shows it not. Day unto 
day uttereth no speech, and night unto night show- 
eth no knowledge, like this. Through all the 
earth, to the end of the world, there is no speech 
nor language where this voice is heard ; nor does 
the sun, in all his circuit, searching as are his 
beams, discover any thing resembling it, except 
the developments of its own extending influence. 
In like manner, the first chapter of the Epistle 
to the Romans may be cited, as concentrating the 
intelligence of the New Testament, in this con- 
nection. Here, also, as in the Psalm just noticed, 
we distinguish two parts, but in reversed order, — 
the spiritual first, and then the natural. In the 
former, the apostle proclaims the excellency of 
revelation; asserting, in particular, that he is 
"not ashamed of the gospel of Christ," — which 
is the sum of all revelation, — because " it is the 
power of God unto salvation;" that is, the power 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 31 

of God as displayed not in creation, but in re- 
demption ; not by nature, but by grace. In the 
latter part, he opens the awful contrast to this, — 
claiming for creation, indeed, all that ought to be 
claimed for it, but at the same time confessing its 
insufficiency, and proving the absolute necessity 
of revelation : — 

66 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven 
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of 
men who hold the truth in unrighteousness ; because 
that which may be known of God is manifest in 
[or to] them ; for God hath showed it unto them. 
For the invisible things of him from the creation 
of the world are clearly seen, being understood 
by the things that are made, even his eternal power 
and godhead ; so that they are without excuse." 

Now, what is "the truth' ' which men in their 
best condition, under the natural system alone, 
may be said to "hold"? Plainly, according to 
the apostle's statement, it is the doctrine of the 
existence, power, and sovereignty of God, — this, 
and no more! And how do they hold it? In 
unrighteousness; in all impiety and iniquitj 7 ; 
gradually losing their original clear perception of 
it; perverting and abusing it; descending, as 
described in the conclusion of the chapter, to 
the lowest depths of idolatry and immorality, 



32 THE BIBLE AND 

and becoming unutterably vile and abominable. 
Against all this ungodliness and unrighteousness 
of men God reveals His wrath from heaven. 
Speaking with all reverence, He appears not as He 
would, but as He must; not in love, but in anger; 
not with good, but with evil. This is the current 
presentation of nature. Not only is it true that 
"the heavens declare the glory of God, and the 
firmament showeth his handiwork," but it is 
equally true that they declare and show, by day 
and night, ail round the globe, His omnipotence 
in vengeance for the sins of our race. Just as sin 
is everywhere, so sorrow is everywhere and death 
is everywhere. The disguise of God is terrible. 
If we would see Him without disguise, see Him 
as He is, and as He desires to be universally 
known, we must turn back from creation to reve- 
lation, from nature to grace, from the wrathful 
heavens to "the gospel of Christ," from His power 
in restraint or punishment of sin to the same 
power in deliverance from sin. 

In short, in all that relates to the moral cha- 
racter of God, the testimony of creation, in its 
present estate, is defective, disturbed, and con- 
fused. Moreover, as, if necessary, might also be 
shown at large, in all that relates to human his- 
tory, duty, and destiny, it is nearly silent. From 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 33 

the time of the first great change, no nation, 
tribe, or person has ever acquired clear and full 
knowledge of either God or man from nature 
alone. 

II. THE CLAIMS OF PROVIDENCE. 

The study of Providence leads to the same 
result. Its action, in great part, is sensible ; but 
it does not always reveal the principles on which 
it acts. Its movements are so constant, compli- 
cated, numerous, and various, — sometimes so un- 
expected and seemingly contradictory, — that it is 
utterly impossible to understand the system with- 
out a supernatural teacher. Like creation, it 
presents no claim to infallible authority on its 
own part ; and revelation, which is its vindicator 
and interpreter also^ makes no such claim for it. 
The strongest inspired affirmation is this: — that 
God, who "in times past suffered all nations to 
walk in their own ways, nevertheless left not 
himself without witness, in that he did good, and 
gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling 
our hearts with food and gladness." That is, "in 
wrath" He remembered "mercy," — wherever prac- 
ticable, preferring the administration of good to 
that of evil. We cannot indeed resist the im- 
pression of goodness produced by the general 



34 THE BIBLE AND 

regularity and rich, supplies of the seasons. Bad 
as man is, he has never yet been abandoned to a 
whole year of winter. Eelenting a little at the 
pleasantness of the thought, it may be remarked 
that summer has never for so long a time bidden 
farewell to Cape Farewell, nor withdrawn for 
such an interval her cornucopia from Cape Horn. 
Within the tropics, however, thousands of years 
of summer have been known. And, as to the 
temperate zones, our fine old world, ever vibrating 
northward and southward, has continued to bowl 
around the sun, expanding its belts of white 
and green and red and yellow, in all the signifi- 
cant diversity and loveliness of ever-changing 
repose and revival, bloom and growth. The hea- 
ven has not withheld its rain, nor the earth its 
fruit. Our bodies have been nourished by the 
abounding food, and our spirits refreshed by the 
abounding gladness. To indulge a little further 
in familiar figures .-—spring is as welcome as a 
virgin sister, half tears and half smiles, yet ever 
full of wit and love and joy and grace and health 
and beauty. Summer is as welcome as a thought- 
ful and skilful mother, glowing over many a whole- 
some and grateful preparation, and crowding every 
nook of home with stores for future comfort. 
Autumn is as welcome as a prudent father, who, 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 35 

by long-continued toil and care, has completed 
the accumulations which he now soberly contem- 
plates, and by which he perfects the ingatherings 
of his younger and fairer partner. And even win- 
ter is as welcome as a historical and prophetical 
grandfather, — outwardly severe and frosty, but 
inwardly warm and cheerful; remembering well 
that the world is not as it was in the spring, but 
foreseeing as clearly that another spring is com- 
ing, and so abiding in hope, prompt with sage 
advice and maxims often proved. Still, returning 
to more important and literal truth, it must be 
considered that all this is partial testimony ; that 
even the seasons themselves often give counter- 
statements ; that many providential movements, 
gentle as well as violent, are most mysteriously 
and awfully destructive ; and that, in a word, the 
system neither directly nor indirectly claims the 
office of infallible instruction. 

III. THE CLAIMS OF CHURCH AND STATE. 

Having thus glanced at the fact that the two 
great natural authorities do not claim infallibility, 
I prefer, for the sake of general and brief state- 
ments, to notice the remaining fact — that the two 
great social authorities do claim infallibility — with- 
out division of topics. 

4* 



36 THE BIBLE AND 

It is not too much to say, that both Church 
and State often, perhaps generally, if not indeed 
always, claim infallibility. Nor only so ; but they 
claim it as Divine. They do not pretend that 
mere human wisdom is infallible. They assert a 
Divine gift, an official prerogative. They are in- 
fallible in virtue of their origin, and as essential^ 
to their office. 

Even a slight acquaintance with civil and eccle- 
siastical history is sufficient to assure us that the 
fact is as thus reported. In some cases, the as- 
sumption is formally prominent ; in all, substan- 
tially observable. 

In civil history it stands thus, — representing 
monarchies, aristocracies, and republics or de- 
mocracies : — 

1. The voice of the king is the voice of God ! 

2. The voice of the nobles is the voice of God ! 

3. The voice of the people is the voice of God ! 
In ecclesiastical history it may be found thus, — 

representing Eoman and Greek Catholics, the Pro- 
testant State Establishments and dissenters from 
them, and the coequal denominations and con- 
gregations of our own country : — 

1. The voice of the pope is the voice of God ! 

2. The voice of the council is the voice of God ! 

3. The voice of the church is the voice of God ! 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 37 

4. The voice of our church is the voice of God ! 

That is, the voice of the present power, what- 
ever it may be, is the voice of God ! All parties, 
to a greater or less extent, challenge this same 
high regency. The unrelenting rigor of their 
governments, the severity of their administra- 
tions, the technical obstinacy of their creeds and 
statutes, the pains and penalties they have in- 
flicted and still inflict, their uncompromising con- 
troversies about things of little interest, their 
wilful neglect of other things of greatest moment, 
their undervaluation of manly freedom and bro- 
therly charity, their overvaluation of slavish and 
unimprovable conformity and uniformity, — these 
and innumerable other evidences are all confirma- 
tory of this actual characteristic or prevailing 
tendency. 

In all these connections, the agents, however 
externally diversified, compose but two classes, 
which are easily distinguished. They are either 
believers or unbelievers, zealots or hypocrites, 
fanatics or impostors : or, in the first class, those 
who are honest in their claims, however deluded; 
and, in the second, those who are either above or 
below delusion, deliberately and selfishly dishonest 
Whether, however, honest or dishonest, — sadly, in 
either case, as they are unfit for the office, — these, 



88 THE BIBLE AND 

too often, nay, generally, are the leaders of the 
world, — either its tyrants or deceivers, the fool- 
makers or slave-makers of the rest of the race. 

Notwithstanding the obvious fact, that these 
authorities do, formally or virtually, urge this 
claim, it is still more obvious, if possible, that it 
is not to be justified, has no proper sanction, is a 
miserable and abominable imposition. 

The state infallible ! Put the history of mon- 
archies under the title, — the voice of the king is 
£he voice of God. Put the history of aristocracies 
binder the title, — the voice of the nobles is the 
voice of God. Put the history of republics or 
democracies under the title, — the voice of the 
people is the voice of God. And what blasphemy 
is here ! 

So it is with the church. The church infallible ! 
Put the history of Roman or Greek Catholicism 
under the motto, — the voice of the pope, or patri- 
arch, or council, is the voice of God. Put the his- 
tory of the church, in any of its forms, or the his- 
tory of our church, in any of its forms, under the 
vaunted vanity, — its voice is the voice of God. 
And who that has any reverence for God, — • 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; who that has any 
love for truth or righteousness ; who that has any 
respect for himself, or sympathy with mankind, 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 39 

can suppress the kindlings of indignation, or 
withhold the burning utterance of intensest wrath 
and scorn? Away with such absurdities and 
cruelties! — away with them, at once and for- 
ever! 

One test is enough, — one incomparable historic 
illustration, — infinitely solemn and forever decisive. 
On some occasion, when it was said, The voice of 
the people is the voice of God! it was replied, 
Not so : for, when the Son of God came into the 
world, the people cried, Away with Him! Let 
Him be crucified ! But, admirable as this reply 
was, the case in whole is more significant and im- 
pressive than it thus appears. The truth is, that 
case brings to the test and condemns all the classes 
and claims of which I have spoken. 

Behold the scene! The trial of Christ is the 
trial of the world. To justify the world were to 
condemn Christ ; to justify Christ condemns the 
world. 

All civil authorities are here represented: — 
monarchy, (though not in person,) by Csesar ; aris- 
tocracy, by Pilate and Herod; and democracy, by 
the masses of the people. In like manner, all 
ecclesiastical authorities are here represented: — 
the pope or patriarch, by the high priest; the 
council, by the Sanhedrim; the church, by the 



40 THE BIBLE AND 

Pharisees ; and our church, by the Sadducees and 
others. 

Here they stand, circle within circle, rank above 
rank, in mighty, multitudinous, and tumultuous 
pressure. And here stands, in the midst of all 
and apparent to all, the only-begotten and dearly- 
beloved Son of God, the gracious Redeemer and 
glorious Sovereign of the world. 

And are not the angels, of all orders, here? 
And are not the saints, of all ages, here ? And is 
not God, himself, here ? 

And what is the voice of God? To the angels 
"he saith, And let all the angels of God worship 
him !■" And lo ! they do worship Him, more pro- 
foundly and solemnly, if not more readily, than 
when He first came into the world. And to the 
saints, and to the world, God saith, "This is my 
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear 
ye him." And the saints do hear Him, though 
the world will not hear. "But unto the Son he 
saith, Thy throne, God, is forever and ever: a 
sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy 
kingdom: thou hast loved righteousness and 
hated iniquity ; therefore God, even thy God, hath 
anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy 
fellows." 

But what is the voice of the Church? And 



OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 41 

what is the voice of the State? The grandest 
occasion in the history of the world has now 
come for the demonstration of their consonance 
with the voice of God. Let them speak. And 
hark ! 

The voice of the High Priest, or pope, is, Crucify 
him ! 

And the voice of the Sanhedrim, or council, is, 
Crucify him ! 

And the voice of the Pharisees, or the church, 
is, Crucify him ! 

And the voice of the Sadducees, or our church, 
is, Crucify him ! 

And so, the voice of Caesar, or the king, is, 
Crucify him ! 

And the voice of Herod and Pilate, or the 
nobles, is, Crucify him ! 

And the voice of the masses of the people is, 
Away with him ! away with him ! crucify him ! 
crucify him ! 

And so, directly, having meekly endured all 
passing indignities and pains, there hangs, on the 
cross of Calvary, the cold corpse of Him whose 
proper place is in the glory of the throne and the 
glow of the bosom of God. 

How often, since then, have popes, councils, and 
churches, kings, nobles, and peoples, "crucified 



42 THE BIBLE AND OTHER CURRENT AUTHORITIES. 

the Lord afresh, and put Him to an open shame" ! 
Alas for their pretensions to infallibility! Alas 
for the servility of persons who submit to such 
pretensions ! 



SERMON III. 



THE BIBLE AND OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 



* ' Thou hast magnified thy icord above all thy name." 
Ps. cxxxviii. 2. 

Is there any scene on earth so sublime as this ? 
Not one. Architectural provision may be vastly 
more magnificent. Instrumental accessories may 
be far more attractive. The assemblage of per- 
sons may be innumerably greater. The official 
organization may be incomparably more impos- 
ing. And the common object may seem to com- 
mand a higher interest. But, in reality, there is 
no such scene as this. "What are the halls of art 
and science, of philosophy and literature; what 
are the courts of civic rule ; what are the cathe- 
drals of ecclesiastic superstition; what are they — 
with all their charming appointments, and all their 
enthusiast crowds, and all their splendid hierar- 
chies, and all their fugitive aims, and all the 

5 43 



44 THE BIBLE AND 

traditional, conventional, conflicting, and ever- 
changing authorities which control and dishonor 
them, — what are they all, in comparison with this 
or any similar congregation, made solemn "by the 
dignity, liberty, and sympathy of assured and 
earnest immortality; worshipping God, in the 
Spirit of God, around the open word of God, look- 
ing, longing, and laboring only for the coming and 
the greeting of the kingdom of God ! Do I mistake 
you, my friends ? God forbid. Surely He smiles 
on such a scene ! And, hark ! it is the Bath Kol — 
the daughter of the voice — the call from heaven : 
"0 earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord!" 

Gn former occasions, the proposition was sub- 
mitted for demonstration, that the Bible is the 
only sensible, infallible, and Divine authority on 
earth : i.e. the only authority combining these dis- 
tinctions. On those occasions, I reviewed the 
character and claims of four other authorities, 
which are variously brought into competition with 
the Bible, — viz. : Creation and Providence, the 
Church and the State. It was acknowledged, of 
course, that these are sensible authorities; and, 
moreover, that, to a greater or less extent, they 
are Divine authorities. But I trust it was demon- 
strated that they are not infallible authorities. 



OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 45 

They possess, therefore, only two of the three dis- 
tinctions attributed to the Bible; and, lacking the 
third, they leave the Bible, as affirmed in its be- 
half, alone in its glory. 

In order to make the demonstration the more 
complete, I now design to notice these facts: — 

1. That there have been other authorities which 
combined the three distinctions of the Bible ; but, 

2. That all these other authorities have been with- 
drawn from the world, still leaving the Bible in 
sole supremacy. 

I. ANCIENT SENSIBLE, INFALLIBLE, AND DIVINE 
AUTHORITIES. 

The very existence of the Bible presupposes 
these. Its character was determined by them. It 
is itself, indeed, in part at least, the record of 
them. And it is to this record, of course, that we 
are indebted for our knowledge of them. They 
occupied the whole interval from the creation of 
Adam to the end of the first century of the Chris- 
tian era. I allude to elect men, to angels, and to 
Christ, — the one Mediator. 

Elect men have held this high position: — patri- 
archs, priests, prophets, apostles, and evangelists, 
— some of them regularly, in virtue of their rank; 
others occasionally, without regard to rank, to 



46 THE BIBLE AND 

meet special exigencies. They received their 
inspiration by means of duly-modified natural 
dreams; or supernatural open visions; or silent 
spiritual suggestions; or outward intelligible 
voices; or other appointed and reliable modes. 
Now, I do not say of them that, under all circum- 
stances, and merely as men, they were free from 
error. The doctrine itself implies the opposite 
fact. But, as elect men, as inspired men, when 
they acted officially, — when they spoke or wrote as 
prophets, as apostles, as the anointed orators or 
amanuenses of the Holy Ghost, — then they were 
infallible. The Divine omniscience was exercised 
through them without hinderance and without mis- 
take. In the saintly meekness, in the sacred sub- 
limity of their sanctified persons, they stood forth, 
in the presence of the church and the world, in 
visible, audible, infallible administration of the 
authority of God. 

Elect angels, also, have been employed in the 
same way. Their general ministry I need not 
notice. Quick as thought, wide as space, and per- 
petual as time, it must be indeed a grand and 
mighty agency. But here I speak of their special 
ministry, — their manifested ministry. The philoso- 
phy of it, I pass. It is enough for my purpose to 
treat it as a conceded fact. The instances of it 



OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 47 

are too numerous to be cited. The manner of 
their appearance and disappearance seems to have 
been as easy and changeable as volition. In most 
cases, they wore the guise of men and acted like 
men, though apparently superior in countenance, 
bearing, and speech. In some cases, personal 
names are applied to them. In others, their 
social orders are designated. In all, their mis- 
sion, both in purpose and performance, is worthy 
of their nature and relations. Let this suffice ; or, 
if a more poetic reminiscence be desirable, it is 
enough to add, as somewhat significant of the 
fairer ideal, that, with the bloom of unfading 
beauty on their cheeks ; with the light of tearless 
joy in their eyes; with the music of immutable 
truth on their tongues; with the pulse and the 
impulse of eternal life and love in their hearts; 
and with the glory of heaven's highest noon still 
lingering among their pinions and flashing from 
their plumes, — often, more swiftly and brightly 
than the sunbeams, have they made the descent 
from their world of bliss to our world of woe, in 
sensible and infallible revelation of the authority 
of God. 

Not only so : but, now, it becomes us to notice 
the more important and impressive fact, that One, 
different from the prophets, different from the 

5* 



48 THE BIBLE AND 

apostles, different from the angels, — above them 
all, as well as different from all, — having "obtained 
by inheritance a more excellent name than they," 
even the name of ^"the only-begotten Son of God," 
— that He, "the Christ," the "one Mediator be- 
tween God and men," has Himself filled, and to 
a great extent fulfilled, in a manner peculiar, in- 
comparable, redeeming, and adorable, the same 
gracious office. 

I introduced these ancient infallible authorities 
with the remark that they occupied the interval 
from the creation of Adam to the close of the first 
century of the Christian era. But now it is ne- 
cessary to specify and distinguish the fact that it 
was Christ alone who personally and regularly 
maintained this position during that long lapse 
of four thousand years. Even the oldest of the 
patriarchs did not reach one thousand years. The 
priests and prophets of the Jewish economy, and 
the apostles and evangelists of our own, belonged 
to generations as rapid in their succession as the 
present. The angels, indeed, were immortal. 
They lived through the whole time. It is possi- 
ble that the same groups which sang over Eden 
chanted still more joyously over Bethlehem. But 
the angels, as subordinate agents, were only em- 
ployed occasionally and interchangeably in sensi- 



OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 49 

ble visitations. For aught we know, the angel 
that delivered Peter from prison was never on 
earth before. But Christ — and this is the great 
fact I desire to state clearly and surely, — Christ, as 
the Supreme Agent, lord alike of angels and men, 
having in charge both the work of creation and the 
work of redemption, superintended the entire pro- 
gress of affairs, and manifested Himself, at His own 
will, whenever, wherever, and however He pleased. 

What is the Bible? Pre-eminently, it is the 
Book of Christ. What is the Old Testament in 
particular ? It is the history of the manifestations 
of Christ without the flesh. And what is the New 
Testament in particular? It is the history of the 
manifestation of Christ in the flesh. 

Who was the God that walked and talked with 
Adam among the sinless bowers of Paradise ? — 
and with Enoch, before his translation ? — and with 
Noah, both before and after the flood ? — and with 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in their pious migra- 
tions and worshipful repose ? Who was it that so 
thrillingly called to Moses from the burning bush 
and revealed Himself, not only as "the God of 
thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of 
Isaac, and the God of Jacob," but, also, as the "1 
Am" ? Wha was it that so awfully announced 
from the midst of the fires of Sinai the precepts of 



50 THE BIBLE AND 

the Decalogue, — that First Sermon on the Mount, 
of which the one in the New Testament contains 
the proper exposition and illustration? "Who was 
it that shaded Moses in the cleft of the rock, and 
passed before him in the cloud, and proclaimed 
His name and the meaning of His jiame — the 
standard statement of His character, for common 
confidence and appeal — to all succeeding genera- 
tions ? Who was it that responded to the priests 
in the oracles of the Sanctuary and the Shekinah 
during the ages of the Tabernacle and the Temple ? 
Who was it that, by all the sensible methods which 
have been alluded to, qualified the long series of 
prophets for their surpassingly eloquent and sub- 
duing challenges to rulers and people: — "Thus 
saith the Lord!" and again, " Therefore saith the 
Lord, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel ;" 
and again, "Hear, O heavens; and give ear, O 
earth ; for the Lord hath spoken" ? 

Who was it ? Does any one answer, "It was the 
Father" ? Then, what is the meaning of St. John's 
assertion: — "No man hath seen God at any time: 
the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of 
the Father, he hath declared him"? Christ was 
seen — both seen and heard, seen and heard as God 
— at many times, in various forms, and on various 
occasions. All this was in fulfilment of His Me- 



OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 51 

diatorial Office. But the Father was never seen: 
neither seen or heard. I do not remember that 
the Old Testament contains any intimation, even 
of the existence of the Father, — whether by dis- 
tinction of persons between the Father and the 
Son, or in any other way, — that is not plainly a 
revelation of the Father by means of the Son ! 

For instance, the 2d Psalm is supposed to dis- 
tinguish the Father and the Son : the Father giv- 
ing, and the Son receiving, universal dominion. 
But who is it that makes the revelation? Cer- 
tainly, it is the Son. "J will declare the decree: 
the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; 
this day have I begotten thee," &c. So in the 
110th Psalm, which, indeed, Christ applies to 
Himself in the New Testament, David says, "The 
Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right 
hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." 
Now, how did David know what the Father said 
unto the Son? Did he hear him say it? Not at 
all. But, as in the former instance, the Son Him- 
self revealed it unto him. This is sufficiently inti- 
mated by the fact that David styles the Son "my 
Lord :" i.e. the Mediator, with whom alone (and not 
with the Father) the Psalmist held communica- 
tion, and by whose spirit or voice he was in- 
structed or inspired. In a word, it seems that the 



52 THE BIBLE AND 

revelation of the Father, which was generally- 
withheld from men and angels, was intentionally- 
reserved to glorify the ministry of the Son, in 
the flesh. "All things are delivered unto me of 
my Father," said Christ, "and no man knoweth 
the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any 
man the Father, save the Son, and he to whom- 
soever the Son will reveal him." So it had been 
from the beginning: the Son was the revealer; 
not the Father. "Ye have neither heard his 
voice at any time, nor seen his shape," said the 
Son, to the Jews. It was His own voice which 
had been heard; and His own shape which had 
been seen. 

It will not do, therefore, to say that it was the 
Father who appeared to the patriarchs and pro- 
phets. Nay; it was His Mediatorial Son. And 
this view is in strict accordance with all the lan- 
guage of Christ and His apostlks. 

"What said Jesus? Hear His assertion of His 
pre-existence : — "Your father Abraham rejoiced 
to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet 
fifty years old; and hast thou seen Abraham? 
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say r unto 
you, Before Abraham was, I am." This state- 
ment, you perceive, antedates, in its reference, the 



OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 53 

very origin of the Bible. Abraham died some 
three centuries before Moses wrote the first sen- 
tence of the Bible. But Christ said, "Before 
Abraham was, I am." How long before? At 
the time of Noah, of Enoch, of Adam ? Certainly, 
before all; but how long before the first man, nor 
man nor angel may presume to tell. "Who shall 
compute the generation of Him who calls Him- 
self the "I am?" — importing that He never was 
less, and can never be more, than He now is : a 
saying, indeed, which is only expanded in one of 
His last claims in the last chapter of the Bible : — 
"I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the 
End, the First and the Last;" and, especially, the 
Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, 
the First and the Last, of the Bible. 

But come within the limits of the composition 
of the Old Testament, and you will see that it is 
distinctively and peculiarly devoted to the Son, 
rather than to the Father. Hear the reference of 
Christ to the author of its first five books: — "Had 
ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me : 
for he wrote of Trie." See that! — Moses wrote, not 
of the Father , but, of Christ. Surely, this is not an 
allusion to any one passage alone; but to all the 
writings of Moses. His communion was with the 
Son; and therefore he wrote of the Son. On 



54 THE BIBLE AND 

other occasions, our Lord just as distinctly claimed 
all the other writers of the Old Testament as His 
special witnesses. So it is said, " Beginning at 
Moses, and all the prophets, he expounded unto 
them in all the Scriptures the things concerning him- 
self." And again: "All things must be fulfilled, 
which were written in the law of Moses, and in 
the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me" 
And again: "Search the Scriptures; for in them 
ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they 
which testify of me" True, it may be said, that 
some of these allusions are merely to predictions 
of the New Dispensation, rather than to actions per- 
formed under the Old: but the fact is, the pre- 
dictions involve actions; for it was Christ who 
gave the predictions to the prophets, before the 
prophets gave them to the nation and to the world. 
And here the language of the apostles becomes 
doubly corroborative; for they not only declared, 
again and again, that "all the prophets" had fore- 
told the occurrences of their days : that to Christ 
gave "all the prophets witness :" that "the testi- 
mony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy," — i.e. the 
sum and substance, the very life and glory, of it: 
but they also declared, thai it was "the spirit of 
Christ" himself "which was in" the prophets, and 
" testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and 



OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 55 

the glory that should follow/ ' They did not, 
therefore, hesitate to style Him, in accordance 
with all these intimations, — "Jesus Christ, the 
same yesterday, and to-day, and forever," — i.e. the 
same in all the past, the present, and the future ! 

But now let us turn from the many manifesta- 
tions of Christ without the flesh, to His one, open, 
and prolonged manifestation in the flesh. 

I do not now inquire, Who was the God that 
walked and talked with Adam among the sinless 
bowers of Paradise ? But — the new-born Babe, 
that slept in the manger, at Bethlehem : the young 
child, so hastily carried into Egypt, to save its life : 
the sprightly prattler, so cautiously brought back, 
and secluded in Nazareth : the marvellous boy of 
twelve, who confounded the doctors in the temple, 
at Jerusalem: — who was He? Hark! "Wist ye 
not that I must be about my Father's business?'' 
Who is He? — the Hevealer of the Father! But let 
us proceed. That young man of thirty, receiving 
baptism, in Jordan, at the reluctant and tremu- 
lous hands of the boldest of prophets : that faint 
one of the wilderness, assailed by the Tempter 
who triumphed in Eden : that tried and faithful 
one, returning to Galilee, assuming the office of a 
teacher, coming to Nazareth, and standing up in 
the synagogue, among the wondering friends of 



56 THE BIBLE AND 

his youth, as a reader and expounder of the word 
of God :— who is He ? Hark ! " The Spirit of the 
Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to 
preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to 
heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to 
the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, 
to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach 
the acceptable year of the Lord:" — "This day is 
this Scripture fulfilled in your ears"* What ! Is this 
gentle Nazarene the great subject of prophecy? 
But let us proceed. That meek but mighty ora- 
tor, attracting to himself great multitudes from all 
the districts of Syria, assembling them on the 
mountain, seating himself in sight of all, and 
commanding them with ease by a voice that 
searches the soul as well as the ear, and never fails 
to reach its utmost mark : that majestic expounder 
of the Law of Sinai ; who, though no cloud gathers 
round him, and no trumpet is blown, and no light- 
ning flashes, and no thunder peals, and no rock 
quivers, to attest his authority, and no frightened 
auditors exclaim to their fellow-man, " Speak thou 
with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak 
with us, lest we die !" — does, nevertheless, beneath 
a smiling sky, and in the midst of a lovely land- 
scape, and in the solemn hush of universal admira- 
tion and wonder, absolutely " magnify the Law," 



OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 57 

and make it more "honorable" than ever; excel- 
ling, apparently without an effort, its first procla- 
mation, and sending it forth again, with extended 
powers and renewed sanctions, to all nations, 
and for all time — the Mediatorial Message to the 
Whole World — the Miracle of Morals, above all 
praise, irresistible in its demonstrations, and im- 
mutable as the kingdom of God : — who — I again 
demand — who is He? Hark again! "Not every- 
one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth 
the will of my Father which is in heaven !" See ! 
It is the Son, — revealing the Father! But let us 
proceed. That speaker of speakers, coming down 
from the mountain, and showing himself imme- 
diately as the worker of workers, — cleansing the 
leper, at his feet, by a word ; by another word, or 
without a word, healing the centurion's servant, 
at a distance; touching the sick, and dispersing 
their maladies; cowering the storm into dumb- 
ness, by his rebuke ; dispossessing demoniacs, and 
driving their tormentors, like thievish slaves, from 
his presence: that worker of countless miracles, 
on other occasions — not only remedying all the 
ills of life, but recovering the very victims of 
death — filling the cities and the deserts, the moun- 
tains and the seas, the earth and the skies, with 



58 THE BIBLE AND 

the proofs of his limitless control: — who is He? 
Hark again! "Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he 
seeth the Father do: for what things soever he 
doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. ,, See! 
Still it is the Son revealing the Father ! But let 
us proceed. That sufferer of sufferers, homeless, 
distrusted by his kinsmen, troubled by the in- 
gratitude of his beneficiaries, by the waywardness 
of his disciples, by the dulness and even the 
treachery of his apostles, and by the unrelenting 
malignity of his enemies : that benevolent sufferer, 
oppressed, above all, by the sorrows, and especially 
by the sins, of all mankind; and so brought down 
at last to the agony of Gethsemane and the cruci- 
fixion of Calvary : — who, oh, who is He ? Hark 
again ! " my Father, if this cup may not pass 
away from me except I drink it, thy will be done !" 
And again: at the cross itself, — "Father, forgive 
them: for they know not what they do!" See! 
Still it is the Son, mediating with the Father. 
But let us proceed. That sleeper in the sepul- 
chre : that first example of immortal resurrection : 
that serene one, ascending in triumph to the skies : 
— who is He? Hark again! "All power is 
given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, 
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in 



OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 59 

the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things 
whatsoever /have commanded you: and lo, Jam 
with you alway, even unto the end of the world. 
Amen." See that! Still it is the Son revealing 
the Father, and providing for the proclamation of 
the intelligence, under his own superini tendency, 
by the agency of the Holy Ghost, and the instru- 
mentality of the ministry, through all the world, 
and to the end of the world. 

But it may be that all this will be admitted by 
some, who, nevertheless, object to the notion that 
this Revealer of the Father, in the New Testa- 
ment, is the same Being who appears, and speaks, 
and acts as God, throughout the Old Testament. 
For their sakes, let me close this point with the 
distinct and decisive testimony of "the disciple 
whom Jesus loved:" — "In the beginning was the 
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was 
God. The same ivas in the beginning with God." 
What did this Word do? " All things were made 
by Him; and without Him was not any thing 
made that was made." Did this creation include 
living things ? Certainly : for "in Him," it is added, 
"was life;" and therefore he was qualified to com- 
municate life. But did it include mankind, in par- 
ticular? Certainly: and therefore it is added, — 

6* 



60 THE BIBLE AND 

"and the life was the light of men:" men deriving 
not only their life, but their light, or intelligence, 
from Him. And did this "light" continue with 
men after their creation ? Certainly : and there- 
fore it is added, — " and the light shineth in dark- 
ness, and the darkness comprehended it not." It 
shone through all the ages preceding the Christian 
dispensation ; but all history shows that it was not 
comprehended. What then ? Then, as the apos- 
tle proceeds, came John the Baptist, and then 
came Christ, — i.e. the "Word. Therefore it is 
added, — "And the Word" — i.e. of course, the same 
original, divine, all-creating, and all-revealing 
Word — "was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and 
we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-be- 
gotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." 

Here, then, I rest this point, having been 
strangely, unexpectedly, reluctantly, and even 
laboriously, led to protracted consideration of it, 
— it may be, providentially, for some appropriate 
and useful purpose. 

According to all these scriptures, therefore, if 
they be rightly understood, the whole interval from 
the creation of Adam to the close of the first cen- 
tury of the Christian era was occupied, as occasion 
required, by the exhibition of sensible, infallible, 
and Divine authorities, in the persons of elect men, 



OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 61 

in the missions of holy angels, and, above all, in the 
mediatorial superintendency of the Christ, the Son 
of the living God, — " the brightness of the Father's 
glory, and the express image of his person," — mani- 
fested, in various ways, out of the flesh, under pre- 
ceding dispensations; and in the flesh, as Jesus 
of Nazareth, at the commencement of our own. 

But now I must glance, at least, at the fact, that 
these authorities have been all withdrawn from the 
world, thus leaving the Bible in its sole supremacy. 

II.— THE ANCIENT AUTHORITIES WITHDRAWN. 

And is it not so ? Where are the apostles now ? 
Successors of the apostles are said to exist; but 
they are afraid of the name, and without the signs. 
Why do they not call themselves apostles, and 
prove themselves apostles? Have they seen the 
Lord ? Have they been taught by Him, and com- 
missioned by Him ? Are they in any proper sense 
His personal witnesses ? Where is the Saul, among 
them all, to whom our ascended Redeemer has 
returned to reveal His glory, as to "one born out 
of due time ,, ? Where is the apostolic brow, with 
its crown of cool flame, singeing not a single hair? 
Where is the apostolic tongue, modulating into 
instant, accurate music, all the languages of the 
earth? Where is the apostolic shadow, at the 



62 THE BIBLE AND 

passing touch of which sickness vanished and 
health resumed its equal and gentle pulsations? 
Or where is the apostolic hand, to add a Gospel, 
an Epistle, or an Apocalypse, to the volume of 
inspiration ? 

And where are the prophets now ? Where is 
the prophetic eye, with its picturesque and gorgeous 
visions, seeing even "the Lord, sitting upon a 
throne, high and lifted up"? Where is the pro- 
phetic ear, with its frequent and familiar oracles ? 
hearing the six-winged seraphim responding to 
each other, as they stand near the throne, "Holy, 
holy, holy is the Lord of hosts ! the whole earth is 
full of His glory!" Where is the prophetic lip, 
touched by one of those same seraphim with "a 
live coal" from the altar, and then replying to the 
challenge of the Lord himself, "Here am I; send 
me" ? Where is the prophetic spirit, let loose into 
futurity, foretraversing ages, nations, and events, 
and exulting in the accelerating progress and ulti- 
mate universal triumph of immortal redemption ? 
Where now is the Elijah, w T hose prayer shall be 
answered by fire? Where now is the Samuel, 
whose appeal shall be sustained by thunder? 
Where even the priest, with the TTrim and Thurn- 
mim, or access to the veil that shades the Sheki- 
nah ? Where even the feeble and dying patriarch, 



OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 63 

to turn his dim eyes on "the last days/' and see 
them flashing with the fortunes of his mighty 
descendants? Where, especially, is the modern 
Moses, to wield a shepherd's rod as the symbol of 
omnipotence; to smite an empire till it trembles at 
his feet; to smite the sea, and behold it sundered 
from shore to shore ; and to touch the desert, and 
see its sands, rocks, and skies filled with daily 
miracles for the support of a nation of emancipated 
but murmuring slaves ? Where now is such an one 
as this, who, laying his rod aside, shall stand 
between divinity on the cliff and humanity in the 
vale, and pass the law of the world from one to the 
other ? 

And where are the angels now? The light 
comes as ever ; but where is the guest that once 
came with it? Down to its window among the 
homes of Judea, the turtle-dove glides as serenely 
as of old. And down to its tufted nest on the 
greensward of England, the sky-lark drops from 
his welcome to the sunrise. And down to his 
mountain-eyrie in our own Western wilds, the 
eagle sweeps from his farewell to the sunset. Bat 
where is the sky that glitters with the pinions 
of angels now? Or where is the landscape that 
gleams with their reposing beauty and living mi- 
nistry? The morning star returns; but where are 



64 THE BIBLE AND 

the Morning Stars ? The sun shakes his locks in 
the east; but where are the Sons of God? Where 
is Gabriel ? where is Michael ? where are all their 
singing and shouting hosts? Heaven is open as 
ever; nay, it is more open than ever; but to the 
natural eye, and to the natural ear, how empty, 
and how still ! And yet more, infinitely more, — 
"Where is the Christ now? Where is the one Me- 
diator between God and men ? 

Where is the Eden in which He walks ? Where 
the Hebron at whose tent He rests? Where the 
Bethel which He brightens with visions of heaven ? 
Where the shining bush from which He speaks? 
Where the clouded cliff from which He gives law? 
Where the Joshua whom He cheers to battle? 
Where the Samuel whom He calls, even in child- 
hood, to judgment? Where the Elijah, whom He 
charms by a " still small voice," more mighty than 
whirlwind, earthquake, and fire ? Where the priest 
to whom he responds ? Where the Shekinah in 
which he dwells ? Where the prophet whom He 
inspires ? Where the king with whom He enters 
into covenant? But let the Old Dispensation pass. 

Come to the New. Where is the Son of man ? 
Did He not say that His disciples would desire to 
see one of His days, and should not see it? Where 
is He, the contrasts of whose character and condi- 



OTHEK ANCIENT AUTHORITIES. 65 

tion were so wonderfully symbolized by the man- 
ger in which He slept, and the star that watched 
over Him; by the shepherds who came in from 
the fields, and the angels who sent them with 
music and glory from heaven ; by the dull ones 
around Him, who heeded Him not, and the wise 
men who brought Him rich gifts from afar; by the 
carpenter who fostered Him, as if His father, and 
the Architect of the universe, who was His Father ; 
— in a word, by the cross on which He died, and the 
throne to which He ascended? Where is He, the 
weeper at the grave of Lazarus, His young and 
beloved friend ? Where is He, the transfigured One 
of the mountain, with His ancient friends from 
Sinai and Horeb — Moses and Elias— seated by His 
side? Where is the Mourner of Gethsemane? 
Where is the Sufferer of Calvary? All we can 
answer is this : He is the One " whom, having not 
seen, we love, in whom, though now we see Him 
not, yet, believing, we rejoice, with joy unspeakable 
and full of glory, receiving the end of our faith, 
even the salvation of our souls." 

The ancient authorities "being thus withdrawn, 
the Bible alone remains visibly supreme. 



SERMON IV. 



THE CURRENT CONDITION OF THE BIBLE. 



"Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name" 
Ps. cxxxviii. 2. 

In the preceding sermon I noticed these facts : — 
1. That there were certain authorities which com- 
bined the three distinctions of the Bible ; but, 2. 
That these ancient authorities have been with- 
drawn from the world, — still leaving the Bible in 
sole visible supremacy. Those authorities were 
Elect Men, Elect Angels, and the Messiah, the 
Christ, the " one Mediator between God and 
men." 

Now, I design to indulge in various contem- 
plations of this remarkable current condition. 
The past, indeed, must still receive an occasional 
glance; but the chief views will relate to the 
present. And may the Spirit of truth lead us 
into all truth ! 

66 



CURRENT CONDITION OF THE BIBLE. 67 

To one surveying this whole field of the Divine 
administration, and observing the personal re- 
tirement of the Elect Agents from the circle of 
sensible, infallible, and Divine authority, leaving 
it all still and lonely, and the world apparently 
without any sufficient guide, such questions as the 
following, it seems, would be suggested. 

What now? Is there no sensible, infallible, 
and Divine authority on earth? Shall God per- 
mit the two great natural systems to be impaired 
and obscured: — Creation to become almost un- 
intelligible, except in expression of his power and 
sovereignty, and Providence to embarrass us by 
the innumerable inconsistencies of its results with 
our instinctive anticipations, — and yet do nothing 
to remedy these defects, or supply the wants they 
occasion ? Shall He allow the two great social 
systems to be so disordered, also, as to become 
incompetent to the proper discharge of their high 
functions, and yet develop no corrective agency? 
Shall the State be suffered to adopt false prin- 
ciples, embody them in degrading and oppressive 
measures, and impose them, by the concentrate 
energies of its complicated faculties, on all na- 
tions and all generations, and nothing be done 
to arrest the evil ? Shall the Church be suffered, 
as if a mere State instrument, to adopt similar 

7 



68 THE CURRENT CONDITION 

principles, embody them in similar measures, 
and impose them by similar powers and with 
similar results, — only modified into agreement 
with subtler prejudices and infinitely prouder 
pretensions, — and no check be imposed, either for 
the safety of humanity or the credit of Divinity ? 
And, moreover, shall even the occasional reliefs 
of the olden time — when the earth was not a 
hundredth part explored, and our race was not a 
hundredth part expanded, and all the interests of 
its separate families and tribes were so divided, 
secluded, and inconsiderable, in comparison with 
the interests of society now — be withdrawn from 
us, every inspired man be withdrawn, and every 
visible angel be withdrawn, and even our most 
constant and unequalled friend, the adorable Me- 
diator himself, be personally withdrawn, and the 
masses of mankind, in their more enlarged, and 
elevated, and thoughtful, and solemn, and even in- 
tensely anxious, modern conditions, be abandoned 
to the errors, and follies, and crimes, and cruelties 
of fallible, selfish, and wilful hypocrites and 
tyrants ? In a word, shall the Highest look down 
on such a scene as this, and still consent that 
every source of true authority shall remain like a 
sealed fountain among inaccessible rocks ? — rocks 
whose shadows, dry and pitiless, fall on the barren 



OF THE BIBLE. 69 

sands of a perishing camp below? Or, rather, 
shall God still consent that His own authority 
shall be like a shaded sun, — a sun obscured, not 
by earthly clouds, which an earthly wind might 
remove, but by clouds of its own, drawn closely 
and coldly around it, and therefore beyond the 
control of the dependent planet that shivers and 
dies for want of its beams ? 

The answer to all such questions must be, No, 
no : God is not thus careless of his intelligent 
creatures ! He saw the end from the beginning. 
He knew^ all the exigencies of human progress, 
and made due provision to meet them. There is a 
sensible, infallible, and Divine authority on earth ! 
There is one ; but only one. There is only one ; 
but that one is enough ! And here it is ! — The 
Bible ! I look at it, — wonder at it, — cannot avoid 
the inclination to reverence it, If it did not itself 
rescue me from superstition, doubtless I should 
superstitiously regard it. As it is I confess that, 
to me, a Bible in the hand of a child is a greater 
marvel than the sun in mid-heaven ! That, indeed, 
is a glorious symbol ; but this is more glorious ! 
God, himself, has magnified this above all his 
name. 

See ! It is not enough to say that the Bible is 
the only sensible, infallible, and Divine authority 



70 THE CURRENT CONDITION 

now remaining on earth. Much more than this 
must be said. It has a comprehensiveness, com- 
pleteness, and fulness, far transcending such an 
announcement. The truth is, all such authorities 
are comprehended in this one ! See ! Did I say 
there were such authorities in ancient times and 
distant places, but that they are now all with- 
drawn ? Let me correct that error ; or, rather, 
let me more exactly distinguish the truth. Behold 
them ! they are here, — all here ! Here, — the past 
is present ! Here, — the distant is at hand ! Here, — 
the lost are found ! Here, — the dead are alive ! 

Lo ! the angels are here ! When the Lord laid 
the foundations of the earth, did the morning stars 
sing together, and all the sons of God shout for 
joy? Hark! they sing yet! they shout yet! Do 
you not hear them ? They are all here ! Did aji 
angel cheer Hagar in the wilderness ? Did angels 
rest in the shade of the tree at the tent-door of 
Abraham? Did an angel restrain the sacrifice of 
Isaac in the land of Moriah? Did angels lead 
Lot out of Sodom? Did Jacob, in holy vision, 
see their hosts descending and ascending, from 
heaven to earth, and from earth to heaven ? Did 
he meet them again at Mahanaim? Did they 
pitch their camp on Sinai as the Israelites pitched 
theirs in the plains below ? Did they appear to 



OF THE BIBLE. 71 

Balaam, to Joshua, to Gideon, to Manoali, to 
Elijah, to David, to Isaiah, to Ezekiel, to Daniel, 
to Zechariah ? And, passing on to the New Testa- 
ment, did they appear also to Zacharias, and to 
Mary, and to Joseph, and to the shepherds ? Did 
they, indeed, when the Lord laid the foundations 
of the new creation, — the Church of Christ, — sing 
together again, and shout together again, even 
more gladly than at first, — glorifying Christ by 
their testimony, heaven .and earth by their splen- 
dor, and God by their praise ? Did they minister 
in the desert to their tempted but victorious Lord 
and Master? Did they bring virtue to the pool 
of Bethesda? Did they carry the beggar to 
Abraham's bosom? Did they strengthen Christ 
in the garden of Gethsemane ? and open the door 
of his rocky chamber on the morning of the 
Resurrection ? and comfort the weeping women, 
seeking the living among the dead ? and instruct 
the apostles gazing from the hill-side at their 
ascending Lord ? and then accompany Him, with 
their twenty thousand chariots of fire, in His 
triumphant transit from the tomb to the throne? 
Did some of them return, even after this ? — to re- 
lease Peter from prison ? to direct Cornelius to the 
kingdom of God? to encourage Paul amid the 
dangers of shipwreck? and, lastly, and most 

7-* 



72 THE CURRENT CONDITION 

gloriously, to open to John the Apocalypse of 
ages ? — filling the vision with their own missions, 
proclaiming prophecies, sealing saints, waving 
censers, blowing trumpets, swearing the speedy 
close of time, warring with the devil and his an- 
gels, bearing the everlasting gospel through the 
midst of heaven, pouring out earth's last plagues 
from golden vials, pronouncing the doom of 
Babylon, binding the Dragon and casting him 
into the bottomless pit, and so displaying, in the 
close of all, the new heaven and new earth, the 
holy city and its happy inhabitants, the infinite 
grace and glory of the consummation of all things 
in Christ Jesus our Lord ? Behold ! they are 
here ! these angels are here ! — all here ! Various 
and numerous as they are, not one is absent! 
Gabriel, in all his wisdom, — Michael, in all his 
majesty, — these, the very archangels, and all their 
hosts, cherubim, and seraphim, thrones, and do- 
minions, and principalities, and powers, — all, all 
are living, shining, and exulting here ! 

And so the Elect Men, as well as Angels, are 
all here ! The patriarchs, priests, and prophets, — 
the apostles and evangelists, — the princes of inspi- 
ration, — all are here ! Abel, Enoch, and Noah are 
here ! Here Abraham still sees the day of Christ, 
and is glad ! Here Jacob still gathers his children 



OF THE BIBLE. 73 

at his bedside, and tells them the things that shall 
befall them in the last days ! Here Aaron and his 
successors still bear upon their breasts the IJrim 
and Thummim ! Here Moses still trembles at the 
bush, conquers in Egypt, listens from the cleft in 
the rock, and rests in silence in the land of Moab ! 
Here Samuel still hears the God of grace whisper, 
and the God of glory thunder! Here Elijah 
still stands on Carmel, calling fire from heaven, 
and smiting to the ground, with a single stroke, 
the opposing powers of earth and hell ! and here, 
again, as seen on Horeb, at the searching sound 
of the "still small voice" he covers his face with 
his mantle, and worships the Lord of all ! Here^ 
also, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, with 
the twelve minor prophets, from Hosea to Malachi, 
still hold their high positions ! Here is the illumi- 
nated gallery in which their pictured visions are 
suspended and inclined to the gaze of the world ! 
Here is the embroidered shrine from within 
which their unfailing oracles unerringly report 
the will of God! Here is the temple-terrace, on 
which they are arrayed, side by side, in immortal 
beauty and rapture ; their eyes still sparkling, and 
their lips still glowing, as they hold aloft the 
records of their foresight for the study of gene- 
rations and the interpretation of time ! Here, 



74 THE CURRENT CONDITION 

too, the apostles still repose upon their promised 
and peerless thrones ! The cool glory encircles 
their brows yet, — crowns without pressure of pain, 
or fear of forfeiture, or shade of future dimness ! 
Moreover, and far more than of old, they still speak 
with tongues, — many tongues, of lands and tribes 
and nations then unknown! Here, too, their 
very shadows still sweep, with healing virtue, 
over the beds of disease and the wan eyes of 
woe ! Here, too, their thrilling fingers still multi- 
ply, in new forms and for new subjects, the law^s 
of the Church, the original, unimprovable, and 
unalterable instructions and institutions of the 
Holy Ghost ! Here, too, they still see the Lord, 
walking with Him from the beginning of His 
ministry to its close; witnessing His ascension, 
catching His spirit, and, in His name and power, 
revolutionizing the Jewish and Gentile worlds! 
Nor only so: but the evangelists, also, still sup- 
ply their humbler yet highly important fellowship. 
Luke is still with Paul ; and the record still be- 
seeches Timothy to bring Mark with him, who, 
notwithstanding one old disagreement, is thus 
afterward acknowledged to be profitable to the 
apostle for the ministry. In like manner, Philip 
still interprets the prophecies ; Barnabas still dif- 
fuses consolation ; Timothy still Illustrates the 



OF THE BIBLE. 75 

advantages of early scriptural training ; and Titus 
still sets the Church in order, furnishing it with 
elders, in every city, according to his appoint- 
ment! Here, also, Stephen, the protomartyr, 
still bears his testimony to the Messiah, bows 
his shining face before the shower of stones, and 
springs, with loving and exulting spirit, to the 
outstretched arms of Jesus, at the right hand of 
God! 

Nay, — more, far more, — Jesus himself is here, — 
the one Mediator between God and men ! Here 
is the Paradise in which His voice still resounds 
in the cool of the day ! Here are the holy walks 
where He converses with Enoch ! Here is the ark, 
the door of which He shuts with His own hand, as 
soon as Noah has entered ! Here is the summit, 
overlooking Sodom, to which He is conducted by 
Abraham, and where He still relents to the patri- 
arch's pleadings ! Here is the spot, on the border 
of the brook, where He still wrestles with Jacob 
and enriches him with His blessing ! Here is the 
burning bush, whence He still calls to Moses ! 
here the peak of Sinai, where He still proclaims 
the law ! and here the Holy of Holies, where He 
still inspires the Shekinah ! Here, also, are all 
the localities of Egypt, Palestine, and Assyria, 
where His prophetic spirit still prompts the chal- 



76 THE CURRENT CONDITION 

lenge of His dauntless heralds, — " Thus saith the 
Lord!" And see! Here He is, as the babe of 
Bethlehem; here He is, as the fugitive child 
of the Nile; here Pie is, as the secluded boy 
of Nazareth ; here He is, as the young Galilean, 
baptized of John in the Jordan ; and here He is, 
as the Incorruptible One, still showing, by His 
defeat of the tempter in the desert of Judea, the 
rescue of the honor of our race, so shamefully 
betrayed in the Garden of Eden ! Here the whole 
ministry of the Mediator is forever renewed ! 
Here He is, with all His doctrines, and precepts, 
and parables, and prophecies, and promises, and 
warnings, and personal exemplifications of the 
true, and right, and good, and social institutions 
and ordinances ! Here He is, with all His miracles 
of mercy, and wisdom, and majesty, and power, — 
wrought on persons and things and elements, 
without life and with life, and all through life, 
and even after death, — the countless preliminary 
symbols of ultimate complete salvation ! Here He 
is, moreover, with all His sufferings : — sufferings 
occasioned hj the low r liness of His lot, by the 
dulness of His disciples, by the malice of His 
enemies, by the subtle wrath of fiends, His re- 
jection by the Jews, His abandonment by the 
Gentiles, His temporary estrangement from the 



OF THE BILLE. * 77 

Father, and the incalculable pressure of the bur- 
den of the sins of the whole world, from the be- 
ginning to the end of the world, on His own and 
only shoulders ; crushing Him down, in all His 
sinless beauty and love, into a cold and bloody 
grave ! And yet here He is, also, with all His 
triumphs ! — reappearing without a broken bone ; 
whole, sound, immortal ; qualified alike for earth 
and heaven ; wearing His wounds as seals of suc- 
cess, as stars of honor, as claims of reward and 
power; and, thus recovered, rising to the sky, re- 
turning to the bosom of the Father, reigning and 
rejoicing in the height of heaven, waiting for the 
appointed time of His second advent, and antici- 
pating the happy moment when death, the last 
enemy, shall be utterly and eternally destroyed ! 

Nay, more, — still more, — here is the Spirit, as 
well as the Son ; and here is the Father, as well 
as the Spirit! The same Spirit that originally 
" moved upon the face of the waters; " the Spirit 
that garnishes the heavens and renews the face 
of the earth; the Spirit that swept over Jeru- 
salem, on the day of Pentecost, in whirlwind and 
fire, and concentrated its moral energies in the 
souls of the apostles, and diffused them again 
among the thousands of the people, demonstrating 
the Messiahship of Jesus, and installing His ever- 



78 THE CURRENT CONDITION 

lasting kingdom on earth, — lo! that Spirit is 
here, — moving on the waters yet, garnishing the 
heavens yet, renewing the earth yet, establishing 
and extending the kingdom of Christ in the souls 
of men yet ! And the Father, — the long-unre- 
vealed Father, — the eternally self-secluded and in- 
finitely incomprehensible Father, — lying, so to 
speak, back of all, and yet who is at once above 
all, through all, and in all, from whose eternal 
glory the Son came when He entered the world, 
and to whose eternal glory He returned when He 
left the world, and in whose eternal glory He has 
dwelt ever since He left the world, and now 
dwells, and will forever dwell, and we, even we, 
as we trust, with Him, — He also, the Father of 
all, is here! Here, at last, is the effulgent un- 
veiling of the exalted, incomparable, indisputable, 
and inaccessible throne of His almightiness ! Here 
is the ineffable and pre-eminent sovereignty of His 
gentle and holy and unchangeable love ! In a 
word, not only Elect Men and Angels, but Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost, are all here ; here in a sense 
of intelligible and Divine reality, sympathy, and 
power, in comparison with which all other mate- 
rial symbols of the Deity, in all the universe, are 
miserably and inexpressibly meagre and poor. 
Nay, more, — much more, for all this is saying 



OF THE BIBLE. 79 

less than half of what ought to be said, — not only 
is the Bible thus comprehensive of all the sensible, 
infallible, and Divine authorities ever known in 
the history of the world, but these authorities 
have to us no assured existence or specific cha- 
racter except as asserted and received through 
the Bible. In other terms, it has pleased God 
so wonderfully to magnify His word above all His 
name, that nothing satisfactory in relation to 
these authorities can be derived from any other 
source. 

I confess for myself, at once, and with all 
frankness, that the question is, the Bible — or 
atheism, anti-theism, or Pantheism; any thing 
rather than deism. Take away the Bible, and 
you take away all the angels. Not a single cherub 
or seraph, not a single throne, or dominion, or 
principality, or power, not a single morning star, 
or son of God, is left. Gabriel vanishes as a 
phantom, and Michael melts into air and is seen 
no more. Take away the Bible, and you take 
away the elect succession of inspired men. Not a 
single patriarch, or priest, or prophet, or apostle, or 
evangelist remains, to proclaim or record a single 
superhuman oracle. Moses and his law, Isaiah and 
his visions, dissolve together. Matthew and his 
Gospel, Paul and his epistles, perish in the same 



80 THE CURRENT CONDITION 

fire. Nay, more: take away the Bible, and you 
take away the Lord Jesus Christ. No longer need 
any disputes be held in regard to the nature, per- 
son, or office of Christ, His history, condition, or des- 
tiny ! All the magnificent apparatus in preparation 
for His coming smokes and is gone ! The manger 
in the stable, and the star in the sky, alike dis- 
appear ! The cross crumbles, the sepulchre sinks, 
and the throne, well symbolized by the rainbow 
that adorns it, like the rainbow vanishes away ! 
His pre-existence, His current existence, His whole 
existence, is nothing. And so of the Holy Spirit : 
take away the Bible, and the Spirit becomes a 
ghost, indeed ; or, rather, less than a ghost. Like 
a meteor, it flashes from darkness and falls into 
the blackness of darkness. And so of the Father : 
take away the Bible, and the Father retires into an 
impenetrable seclusion, infinitely more oblivious 
than was ever imagined before. And then, when 
the earth is exhausted of every thing iijspired, and 
heaven of every thing angelic, and the universe 
of every thing Divine, what is left? Ay, take 
away the Bible, and what is left ? What ! Is man 
left? And earth, and heaven, and the universe, — 
are they all left? Aha ! be it so. But what kind 
of a man is left ? A man without a Maker, with- 
out a Savior, and without a soul ! a man without 



OF THE BIBLE. 81 

an origin, without a purpose, and without an end ! 
The noblest of beings, and yet the meanest and 
most miserable, — all sensibility, sympathy, and 
affection, yet sitting desolate and in sackcloth, 
among the graves of dead friends, full himself of 
living memories, ever moaning for the dead, but 
without hope of their return, having no hope, but 
that he and his children may likewise die and be 
no more ! And what kind of an earth is left ? 
and what kind of a heaven ? and what kind of a 
universe ? Who cares what kind ! If man be 
a worm, if angels be the spectres of worms, if 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost be mere names with- 
out substance, — who cares what kind ! Let the 
mountains still lift their sublime and glittering 
peaks into the eternal solitudes of azure, silence, 
and frost ; let the hills smooth down their tufted 
and flowery slopes, enclosing with many a grace- 
ful curve the still softer beauty of the green and 
golden vales, gurgling with shadowy fountains and 
sparkling with rippling streams ; let the plains 
expand from innumerable opening ravines into 
broad plateaus and wide-rolling prairies, declining 
from all sides to the level of mighty lakes and 
the channels of far-flowing rivers, covering the 
common vastness of the warm and teeming con- 
tinents with the ripe and varied richness of an 



82 THE CURRENT CONDITION 

endless succession of shining and showery sea- 
sons ; and let the seas and oceans, more free and 
ample and united than the lands they wash, still 
outline the continents and ring the islands with 
their foam, and freshen the world with their airs, 
and mirror at once in the boundless grandeur of 
their brilliant repose the whole sphere of heaven, 
both day and night, sun, moon, and stars, and 
the crisp and scintillant suffusion of either pole, — 
ay, let the magnificent and gorgeous globe, with 
all its boasted accommodations and embellish- 
ments, still sweep along its ethereal path, collect- 
ing and reflecting through ceaseless ages the lights 
of all the orbs in space : — what is it, after all, but 
a sepulchre ! — not a sealed sepulchre, for there is 
neither enemy to make nor friend to break a seal ; 
but an open, dismal, hopeless sepulchre, — ever 
filling, but never to be filled, whirling through 
immensity with unaccountable regularity and con- 
tinuance, rattling forever with the bones of the 
dead, and forever whistling with the sighs and 
roaring with the curses of the living ! 

And heaven too, — whether near or remote, — 
let it still redden the stripes of mist along its 
morning horizon, and mottle its noon with cloud- 
lets bright as shields of crystal and fair as shells 
of pearl, and array its cliffs of snow in the yellow 



OF THE BIBLE. 83 

haze of sunset, kindling their turreted terraces 
with unconsuming fire : or, expanding without a 
shade to its clearest and utmost scope of perfect 
blue, let the loftiest sun shed down the purest 
day, or the lowlier moon arise to illumine the cone 
of night, and the outer stars gleam in to show the 
spheres beyond, and all its inaccessible enchant- 
ments continue eternally to multiply their splendid 
and picturesque changes: — what is it, after all, 
but a cold and careless void, — a void as deceitful 
as it is inviting, — ever promising spirituality, im- 
mortality, and bliss, but which, in truth, is un- 
inhabited and uninhabitable ; blind, — even to its 
own glory, — deaf, dumb, and dead; without a 
refuge and without a friend ! 

And the universe in whole, — however immense 
and illustrious, — let it still stretch away on every 
side through all its gradations of visible stars, and 
through all its telescopic ranges of almost in- 
discernible and utterly immeasurable nebulae, and 
through all the more extended amplitudes of 
imagination, even to the last possibilities of space : 
with all its separate and yet sympathetic systems 
perpetuating forever their radiant and reflected 
admixture of variegated splendors, and multiply- 
ing forever their common interchanges of subtler 
but all-controlling elements and powers: — what 



84 . THE CURRENT CONDITION 

is it, after all, but a larger void and a more ex- 
haustive contemplation, an infinite mystery of 
substance and shadow, of solitude and silence, 
of beauty without design, of order without law, 
of harmony without enjoyment, and of innume- 
rable apparent effects, seeming to imply the per- 
fections and action of a God, but, nevertheless, 
really existing without the slightest ascertainable 
cause ! 

Oh, no, no, no : if the Bible and all it reveals 
be taken away, if man be thus reduced to worse 
than disinheritance and orphanage, it matters not 
what kind of an earth or heaven or universe is 
left to suspend its illusions along the line of his 
momentary transit. Oh, my soul ! or, if indeed 
I have no soul, still, Ah me ! whatever I am : 
a conscious mystery in the midst of countless 
conscious and unconscious mysteries: — what an 
agony of wonder seizes, isolates, agitates, and 
confounds my poor dissolving being ! 

But bring back the Bible. Hear its first verse : — 
" In the beginning God created the heaven and 
the earth." And hear its last verse : — " The grace 
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." 
See ! there is the substance of it all, — God, Christ, 
and man, the beginning and the end, creation and 
redemption, heaven and earth, grace and glory. 



OF THE BIBLE. 85 

So be it ! The two verses sound like the fiat and 
the fact, — "Light be, and light was !" 

And lo ! the whole sphere of truth opens and 
shines ! It is vaster than the earth, vaster than 
heaven, vaster than the universe, — immense as 
immensity itself, and eternal as eternity itself. 
The Bible is the greater sun that glorifies it all ; 
and standing here, like an angel in the sun, I re- 
joice to survey it all. 

See ! the earth, as it rolls in this subtler and 
purer light, instead of resembling a dreary and 
wailing sepulchre, exults around all its golden 
circle as the chosen though chastened province of 
productive and distributive immortality, — letting 
loose, in every moment of its motion and at every 
point along its orbit, the redeemed and sanctified 
spirits whose centrally-collected and innumerable 
millions shall gird the throne of Omnipotence 
with beauty and glory, with worship and service, 
with music and rapture, forever and ever. 

And heaven too, as here it expands, instead of 
gleaming upon us as a deceptive, uninhabited, 
and uninhabitable void, — although it exalts its 
zenith and enlarges its horizon until it covers a 
system rather than a planet, — ay, swells into the 
sublimity of an infinite distance above and beyond 
the whole universe, as easily as it shuts itself 



86 THE CURRENT CONDITION 

down in many-colored airs to enclose the poles 
of every little star, — still, this grand heaven of 
heavens — one heaven full of innumerable hea- 
vens — supplies its utmost scope with saints and 
angels, and opens to every world a gate of en- 
trance, a host of welcoming friends, a paradise of 
boundless and fadeless attractions, and mansions 
of perfect and perpetual repose. 

And now, ineffably and inconceivably greater 
than all, — greater than the changed earth and 
universe and heaven, — God Himself returns. The 
whole sphere of truth is the sphere of the Divine 
existence and government. The Father comes 
forth from His eternal seclusion, — not indeed to 
become personally visible, but to utter His voice 
from the sky, saying, " This is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am well pleased." And lo ! the Son him- 
self appears, — not indeed in the glory which He 
had with the Father " before the world was," — 
but humbling His sinless form to the waters of 
baptism, and consecrating His life to the salvation 
of the world. And lo ! the Holy Spirit also draws 
near, descending as if from the bosom of the 
Father, to adorn the brow and hallow the soul 
of the Son with its hovering, dove-like beauty, 
and its gentle, dove-like grace. And lo ! with 
these, all truth returns. All the doctrines, all 



OF THE BIBLE. 87 

the laws, and all the ordinances of our holy re- 
ligion come back to us as familiar and trustworthy 
realities. All the histories, psalms, proverbs, and 
prophecies, — all the gospels, acts, epistles, and 
apocalyptic symbols, — come back to us as divine 
and immutable verities. Every one of us may 
say, All is light. Sin is indeed sin. Eedemption 
is indeed redemption. By the grace of God, I 
am saved. The Son is my Savior. The Spirit is 
my Sarictifier. The Father is my Father. Saints 
and angels are my brethren. Heaven is my home, 
the universe is my range, and eternity is my life- 
time. 

Oh, spectacle of unparalleled sublimity ! — of in- 
exhaustible wonder ! All this is committed to a 
book! Not to the Church; for where is the 
Church, apart from the Bible, that can show us a 
single inspired man, or ministering angel, or give 
us even a glimpse of the Son of God ? Not to 
the State ; for where is the State that furnishes 
such revelations as these ? Not to Providence ; 
for where is the token of any of them all, on 
land or sea, by day or night, in all the compass 
of the rolling seasons? Not to Creation; for 
where is the distant moon, or sun, or star, or where 
the pale, evangelical comet to make its apparition 
from the mysteries of space, with sign or sound 



88 THE CURRENT CONDITION 

of such tidings as these? No, no: not even to 
the persons of the first messengers are they any 
longer confided. Just as God distrusts the Church 
and distrusts the State, — for their history, as well 
as his foresight, makes it needful and wise for Him 
so to do, — and just as He teaches providence and 
creation to keep their fingers on their lips and 
walk their solemn rounds in perfect silence, so, 
for reasons worthy of all concerned, He bids the 
saints and angels stand aloof, detains His redeem- 
ing Son close by His side, declines any visible 
manifestation even of His omnipresent Spirit, and, 
so to speak, as if to put eternal glory and majesty 
on the truth, — as if to show that by the seemingly 
feeblest instrument He can readily achieve the 
mightiest purposes, and as if at once to humble 
and elevate mankind, — He drops from heaven to 
earth a little book, to teach, reprove, and correct, 
to subdue and govern the rebellious and haughty 
world! And here it is ! — the Bible, — the Bible, 
as I love to repeat it, the only sensible, infallible, 
and Divine authority on earth. So God has mag- 
nified His word above all His name ! 



SERMON Y. 



THE BIBLE ABROAD IN ALL THE WORLD. 



"Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." 
Ps. cxxxviii. 2. 

In the close of the last discourse, the Almighty 
was represented as withholding His infallible 
authority from Creation and Providence, from the 
State and the Church ; as bidding His saints and 
angels stand aloof, detaining His Son by His side, 
declining any visible manifestation of His Spirit, 
and then, as dropping from heaven to earth a 
little book, to teach, reprove, and correct, — to 
subdue and govern the rebellious and haughty 
world. 

The question now arises, — Will the Bible suc- 
ceed? or, what shall prove its destiny? 

Brethren of the Church ! — we, at least, have no 
doubt of its success; no doubt of the ultimate 
and eternal triumph of the truth. We accept its 

89 



90 THE BIBLE ABROAD 

assurance as our own assurance. We remember 
the language of our Savior in relation to the law : — 
"Verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, 
one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the 
law, till all be fulfilled.' ' Even the Jews should 
rejoice in this: for their interest in it is equal to 
ours. Heaven may pass away, earth may pass 
away, — all of heaven, all of earth, massive and 
glorious as they are, may pass away; but "one 
jot," (or yodj) the smallest of the Hebrew letters, 
or "one tittle," (or point,) above, below, within, 
or at the corner of a letter, — that is, the most in- 
finitesimal particle of the law, — shall in no wise 
pass away, till all be fulfilled. In no wise shall 
this happen. No forgetfulness or carelessness on 
the part of God shall allow it; no vigilance or 
craft on the part of Satan shall enable him to oc- 
casion it; no art, or skill, or cunning, or might, 
or majesty, of any man or set of men, shall ever 
procure such a result. This is settled, — settled in 
heaven, and settled forever. So declares the 
Psalmist: — " Forever, O Lord, thy world is settled 
in heaven." The Lord, Himself, has so settled it. 
Even if it were practicable to burn it out on earth 
it would blaze abroad again in all the skies, — every 
jot and tittle, or every yod and point, still shining 
serene and uninjured in its proper place. And, 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 91 

as with the law, so it is with the gospel. Here 
we recall the language of Peter, quoting and ap- 
plying the prophecy of Isaiah: — "For all flesh is 
as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower 
of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower 
thereof falleth away; but the word of the Lord 
endureth forever. And this is the word" — adds 
the apostle — "which by the gospel is preached 
unto you. ,, This is the verdure that never 
withers. This is the bloom that never fades. 
This is the life that never dies. This is the 
glory that never declines. " The word of the 
Lord endureth forever/ ' 

Nevertheless, let us candidly consider the mat- 
ter. Here, then, is the Book. According to the 
distinctive designation of it all through this dis- 
cussion, it is a sensible authority, — the only Divine 
and infallible authority in the world which is in a 
sensible form. We see it, read it, hear it read, 
handle it, measure it, weigh it ; treat it religiously 
or curiously, critically or commercially, usefully 
or hurtfully ; in a word, do what we please with it, 
as with any other book. 

It comes to us alone, relying on its intrinsic 
merits, and so submits itself to our discretion. 
Its authors have no more to do with it. The first 
of them died some thirty-three hundred years 



92 THE BIBLE ABROAD 

ago, and the last of them about seventeen hun- 
dred and fifty years ago. The persons it names, 
and the generations to which they belonged, have 
passed from the earth like morning shadows. 
Many, if not most, of its tribes and nations have 
ceased to exist. The cities they built, the king- 
doms they established, the empires they collected 
and confirmed, are now no more. Some of their 
ruins still linger in the midst of silent deserts ; 
but the Bible itself is the best monument of them 
all. In like manner, the angels, which it men- 
tions so often, have no further visible connection 
with it. Death, indeed, has never touched their 
shining plumes; but restraint secludes them. 
And so the Savior, whom it is the chief object 
of the Book to reveal to the world as the true 
"Desire of all Nations," affords it no longer any 
visible support. Ever since its completion, He 
has been hidden in the heavens, like a lost star. 
And so the Holy Spirit has ceased to flash and 
flame upon our vision in attestation of the truth. 
And so the Eternal Father remains silent, — letting 
all the ages pass without a word in its behalf. In 
short, this asserted Supreme Authority, though 
itself in sensible form, has no sensible miraculous 
accompaniment, no supernatural magnificence or 
splendor, no superhuman sanction or attraction 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 93 

of any kind, apart from its internal character, to 
sustain its pretensions or give it a claim to any- 
extraordinary respect. Here it is, in all this ap- 
parent loneliness, in the hands of men, of indi- 
viduals and societies, of friends and foes, — more 
foes, so far, than friends, — quietly and constantly 
maintaining its mighty and momentous strug- 
gle. 

The first remark I have to make, and a suffi- 
cient one for the present discourse, is this: — The 
Bible is now abroad in all the world, — so fairly and 
fully exposed that it can never again be concealed. 
There have been times, both before and since its 
completion, when, in part or in whole, it was 
withdrawn from society, and almost forgotten. 
Prior to the restoration of the law by Ezra it ap- 
pears that the most of the books of the Old Testa- 
ment had well nigh perished. Under Antiochus 
Epiphanes, all of them were ordered to be de- 
stroyed, and such persons as secreted any of them 
were doomed to death. Under Dioclesian, an edict 
was issued, requiring the whole Bible to be burnt, 
throughout the whole Eoman Empire, — on which 
occasion myriads of Christians preferred death 
with the Book to life without it. Finally, the 
Church itself — that is, the Apostate Church — after 
long-continued neglect or abuse of the Scriptures, 



94 THE BIBLE ABROAD 

and consequent increasing corruption, formally 
forbade their use to the laity, and still more 
strictly prohibited the translation of them into 
the vulgar tongue. "What was forbidden to the 
laity soon became useless to the clergy; and so, 
before the age of Luther, the Bible had nearly 
vanished from all observation. 

But those times have passed, — never, we trust, 
to be renewed. The Book is abroad in all the 
world. Protestant Christendom is filled with it, 
from centre to circumference. Around all the 
borders of Romanism its voice is heard, like the 
trumpet of the resurrection. The outposts of 
Mohammedanism and Paganism are all startled 
by the same awakening music. And, "whether 
they will hear or whether they will forbear,' ' it 
is plain that, ere long, all mankind must acknow- 
ledge its presence and its power. 

See ! the sensible form in which it appears in- 
cludes a vast variety of modifications. As a 
Book, it exists, of course, either in manuscript or 
in print, and its records are either originals or 
versions. 

It is a remarkable fact, that not a single auto- 
graph of the Holy Scriptures is known to be in ex- 
istence. On the other hand, it is at least possible 
that not a single autograph has been destroyed. 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 95 

And it is a pleasant thought, that He who lived 
from the beginning, and yet once "was dead," — 
whose body lay in the grave, and whose soul en- 
tered the place of spirits, — who is now "alive for 
evermore," and has "the keys of hell and of 
death," of hades and of the grave, — who carries 
these keys at His girdle, and hands them at His 
will to Latrobe, or Layard, or any of His servants, 
to open the galleries where He has treasured the 
historic memorials of His reign and confirmations 
of His word, — may sometime direct the unlock- 
ing of a chamber within which shall be found the 
real originals of the Bible in unimpaired pre- 
servation. 

Meantime, the study of extant manuscripts, 
especially of the accepted originals, both Hebrew 
and Greek, must be exceedingly interesting to 
those who are thoroughly qualified to pursue it. 
Even their external history is full of interest: 
their number and age, the materials on which and 
with which they were prepared, the extraordinary 
care which was taken to make them accurate 
and, in many instances, most richly beautiful, the 
veneration with which they were preserved, the 
costly collections and laborious collations of them, 
their comparative critical reputation and influ- 
ence, their present local distribution and accessi- 

9* 



96 THE BIBLE ABROAD 

bleness, — these, and other points, might well 
claim, and would amply reward, attention. It is 
enough, however, for the occasion, to compile the 
following particulars.* 

The Hebrew manuscripts are of two classes, 
sacred and common, — or, synagogue-rolls and pri- 
vate copies. " The synagogue-rolls are uniform, 
hardly differing one from another, — written on the 
skins of clean animals, prepared for the particular 
use of the synagogue by a Jew." The private 
copies "are in different forms, — folio, quarto, 
octavo, duodecimo, — and their material is mostly 
parchment, sometimes Eastern paper, and even 
common paper." Both kinds, of course, were 
wrought with extraordinary care; but of the 
former it maj^ be said that it is almost impossible 
to exaggerate the pains that were taken to secure 
their accuracy and sanctity. As would be ex- 
pected, the more ancient they are the more rare 
they are. Dr. Kennicott is said to have collated 
six hundred and thirty, and De Rossi more than 
four hundred, — the two " upwards of eleven hun- 
dred." Of Dr. Kennicott's, fifty-one were sup- 

* See Dr. Davidson's volume, in the new edition of " Horne's 
Introduction," (1856.) The chapter on "Hebrew Manuscripts" 
may be regarded as an improvement of the same writer's article in 
?' Kitto's Cyclopedia," 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 97 

posed to be from six to eight hundred years old, 
and a hundred and seventy-four from four hun- 
dred and eighty to five hundred and eighty years 
old. Of De Rossi's, some were said to be of the 
seventh or eighth century, which would make 
them now eleven or twelve hundred years old. 
A more reliable current authority, however, not 
long since declared that, so far " as certainty is 
concerned,'' the " oldest Hebrew MS. at present 
known belongs to a.d. 1106," — making it now 
seven hundred and fifty-one years old. And yet 
the same authority still more recently alludes to 
another collation, "by Pinner, at Odessa," result- 
ing in the discovery of one MS. of the sixth cen- 
tury, (580,) two of the ninth, and two of the tenth, 
— the oldest, if correctly represented, being twelve 
hundred and seventy-seven years old. From these 
dates they multiply to their whole present num- 
ber, — those which have been produced since the 
fifteenth century being reported as " very nume- 
rous." 

The Greek manuscripts, the accepted originals 
of the New Testament, are older than the He- 
brew. Their materials are vellum or paper. In 
the oldest of them there are none of our common 
divisions, but words and sentences flow on in un- 
broken lines of capital letters. In a brief list 



98 THE BIBLE ABROAD 

which I have examined, one is attributed to the 
fourth century, two are ascribed to the fifth, five 
to the sixth, six to the seventh, three to the 
eighth, and eight to the ninth, — the earliest of 
them, therefore, being some fifteen hundred years 
old, and the latest about a thousand. 

Similar brief notice might be taken of the 
ancient versions, — whether Greek, Oriental, Latin, 
Gothic, Slavonic, or Anglo-Saxon. The princi- 
pal of them number more than twenty ; and, of 
course, the design of making them was to present 
the Divine Eecord in the living languages of the 
people for common use. They were all vul- 
gates. 

It is enough, however, for my purpose to add 
the remark, that the world has been searched — 
and is still being searched — by Jews, Romanists, 
and Protestants, and that, as the result of the 
search so far, copies of the most important of all 
classes of sacred manuscripts, both originals and 
versions, have been largely collected and dili- 
gently collated, and are now known, located, 
numbered, described, and, in common with multi- 
tudes of inferior value distributed in public and 
private libraries and among the synagogues and 
monasteries of all lands, are generally free to scho- 
lastic investigation. 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 99 

It is in relation to modern versions, however, 
that the fact I wish to illustrate becomes most im- 
pressive, and especially as connected with the 
operations of the art of printing. 

The first printed book was the Latin Bible, — 
the Mazarin Bible, as it is called, from the dis- 
covery of a copy of it, in the last century, in the 
library of the cardinal of that name. The date 
assigned to it is 1455. " "We may see in imagi- 
nation, " says Mr. Hallam, " this venerable and 
splendid volume leading up the crowded myriads 
of its followers, and imploring, as it were, a 
blessing on the new art, by dedicating its first 
fruits to the service of Heaven.' ' Since then four 
hundred years have gone by, and, to a consider- 
able extent, they have all been employed in print- 
ing Bibles. Within the last half-century, how- 
ever, an altogether incomparable work has been 
accomplished, in this connection, by means of 
Bible Societies. Since 1804, more than fifty-four 
millions of Bibles and Testaments have been thus 
distributed. The list of " languages into which 
translations of the Scriptures have either been 
made or attempted'' included, six years ago, some 
two hundred and seventy. Doubtless the number 
has since increased. The versions, of course, are 
much more numerous, as in many instances a 



100 THE BIBLE ABROAD 

single language, like our own, has quite a large 
variety of them. In " The Bible of Every Land" 
may be found about two hundred and seventy 
"typographical specimens'' of different transla- 
tions. Of these, nearly two hundred have been 
published by the Bible Societies, and more than a 
hundred and twenty of this number were " never 
before printed." According to official state- 
ments, they have been circulated wherever prac- 
ticable, in adaptation to "national and provincial 
peculiarities, in every district of Western, North- 
ern, Central, and Southern Europe; in Eussia; ii\ 
the Caucasian and other border-countries ; in Per- 
sia; in India, — Northern, Central, and Southern; 
in Ceylon ; in the Indo-Chinese countries ; in the 
Chinese Empire; in Hither Polynesia, Further 
Polynesia, Africa, and America. 

Meantime, as one effect of this universal 
charity, the Bible trade, as it may be distinctively 
called, instead of being checked, has been won- 
derfully quickened, strengthened, and enlarged. 
Notwithstanding the copies given away, and the 
readiness with which they may be almost any- 
where obtained, no book in the world sells like 
the Bible. Within the period already alluded to, 
therefore, thousands of private publishers — some 
with state patronage, others with church patron- 



IN ALL THE WOULD. 101 

age, but most of them without either, and all far 
more at liberty than the Bible Societies — have 
issued, it is reported, upwards of fifty millions 
more, seemingly in every possible diversity of style, 
and accommodated to every age and condition of 
life, every desire of taste, and every degree of 
ability to buy.* In reality, however, it is believed 
that the diversity has just begun, and that here- 
after it will be greatly extended and incomparably 
improved. 

And now, tell me, — Is not the Bible fairly and 
fully abroad, and beyond all possibility of re- 
concealment? Who can follow its flight? Every 
effort to do so is discouraging. Whatever centre 
I occupy, I see the Bible passing away — in a 
thousand forms, by a thousand lines — to the 
utmost circumference. If I follow it in one line 
the others are left unexplored. A sort of bird's- 
eye view — or rather angel's view — is all that is 
allowed me. To gain this, for a moment, I soar 
into the sky and poise myself there. 

And what now? I ask for the nations and 
tribes who read the languages and dialects in 

* A single Philadelphia house, as stated to the writer by one 
of its members, has issued for the last fifteen years, year by year, 
a larger number of Bibles than the American Bible Society ! 



102 THE BIBLE ABROAD 

which the Bible has been so far printed. I wish 
to see them in all their localities and other asso- 
ciations. 

"Fold your pinions/' says the angel in the sun, 
" and stand by my side. Instead of descending 
in a moment, you must wait twenty-four hours, 
and watch the revolution of the whole globe ; for 
there is not a spot on its surface where some one 
of these languages does not reach. " 

And so I wait and watch, and find it is even 
so. I see these readers, — self-taught, mission- 
taught, home-taught, or school-taught, — in all 
natural conditions, from the equator to the poles, 
— enduring every climate, traversing every sea, 
covering every continent, and filling every island, 
— scaling the mountains, cultivating the plains, 
girding and crossing the deserts. I see them in 
all civil conditions, — savage, barbarian, semi- 
civilized, and wholly civilized : among the latter, 
monarchists, aristocrats, and republicans, abso- 
lutists, constitutionalists, and revolutionists. I 
see them in all religious conditions, — Fetichists, 
Foheists, Boodhists, Brahminists, Parseeists, Mo- 
hammedans, Jews, and Christians : among the lat- 
ter, Eomanists and Jansenists, Orthodox Greeks 
and Heterodox Greeks, Established Protestants 
and Dissenting Protestants. I see them, more- 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 103 

over, in all social conditions, — sovereigns, nobles, 
and magistrates; priests and pastors; scholars 
and philosophers; professors of literature, sci- 
ence, and art; merchants and manufacturers; 
mechanics and operatives ; farmers and planters ; 
herdsmen and shepherds; hunters and fishermen; 
soldiers and sailors; paupers and slaves ; dwelling 
in caves and thickets, in tents and huts, in cabins 
and mansions, in castles and palaces, in colleges 
and convents, in hamlets, towns, cities, and 
mighty capitals, — or, again, off-shore, in canoes, 
in ships, on vast rafts, or in fixed fleets, — great 
water-capitals rivalling those on land ; and, more- 
over, with all varieties of dress and address, 
ceremonies, manners, customs and usages, at 
births, w r eddings, and funerals, in private and in 
public, in all the stages and relations of life, — 
in connections quite innumerable and inde- 
scribable. 

Wherever I look, I see the same visitant, — the 
Bible. Everywhere it bears the same message, — 
the same to old nations and new, to the people 
of yesterday and the people with a history of two 
or three thousand years. Moreover, in substance 
it is a message equally needed by all and equally 
adapted to all. 

I ask for the motives and objects of the various 

10 



104 THE BIBLE ABROAD 

parties employed in this cause of Bible-distri- 
bution at home and abroad. Why is there so 
much zeal in regard to this one book? It is not 
so with the sacred books of other religions. Even 
the kings and priests having them in charge do 
nothing to promote their circulation. Rather, 
they are careful to keep them secluded. How is 
this ? Why does not some one of the many Mo- 
hammedan nations form Koran Societies, to fill 
the world with Korans ? Why are there no Zend- 
Avesta Societies among the Parsees? Why no 
Veda Societies among the Hindoos? Why no 
King's Societies among the Chinese? Why no 
Edda Societies among antiquarian Scandinavians ? 
Is it not strange that there are no such Societies ? 
And yet stranger facts are found nearer home. 
Why have the Jews no Bible Societies? Why 
the Roman Catholics none ? Why the Greek Ca- 
tholics none ? Why the Oriental Churches none ? 
Nay, why are Unevangelical Protestants without 
them ? Nay, still further, why are some of our 
Evangelical churches beginning to draw off and 
stand aloof from the Bible Societies? As to 
Pagans, they make no pretension to the means of 
a common salvation. As to Mohammedans, if 
they ever had such pretensions, they have lost 
confidence in them. Besides, their trust was 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 105 

always in the sword rather than the book. As to 
the Jews, they know that the Old Testament 
alone is an imperfect revelation, and are waiting 
themselves for the consummating development. 
As to the Catholics, they all substitute the Church 
for the Bible. As to Unevangelical Protestants, 
they are chilled by doubt and checked by error, 
and can make no progress in good. And as to 
the withdrawing Evangelicals, they are becoming 
less Christian and more sectarian every day. 
Only the Bible Societies, and their supporters of 
all parties, seem to be influenced by the highest 
motives and devoted to the noblest objects. In 
contrast to Pagans, they do claim the means of 
a common salvation. In contrast to Moham- 
medans, their confidence increases rather than de- 
clines. In contrast to Jews, they possess the per- 
fected revelation. In contrast to Catholics, they 
acknowledge the Bible as infallible instead of the 
Church. In contrast to the Unevangelicals, they 
are all aglow with faith and impelled by truth. 
And in contrast to their offended brethren among 
the Evangelicals, they daily become less and less 
sectarian and more and more Christian. In a 
word, with certain exceptions which it may be 
hoped will disappear, their motives and objects 



106 THE BIBLE ABROAD 

are worthy of all commendation, — immediately 
and exclusively connected with the one all-suffi- 
cient and incomparable work of glorifying God 
in the salvation of mankind. It is the just ap- 
preciation of their work in these two relations 
that sustains their zeal. Private publishers, in 
most instances, find their reward in pecuniary 
profits. Sectarian publishers blend personal and 
partisan interests in deceitful semblance of Chris- 
tian sublimity. But the true sublime is with those 
who have nothing to do but to fill the world with 
the highest truth for the glory of God and the 
entire and eternal redemption of man. They "re- 
joice with joy unspeakable" that the Bible is at 
last abroad in all the world, and that it can never 
again be concealed. They are not like those who 
fear for its fate. "Do not send it forth without 
Tradition," say some. " Do not let it loose with- 
out the Apocrypha," say others. "Do not trust 
it without the Prayer-Book, " say others. "Do 
not expose it without the Creed, or Confession, or 
Constitution, or Platform, or Discipline," say 
others. "We have no fear," reply the faithful 
ones. "We would as soon charge God with folly 
for issuing the sun without the pendant of a 
lamp to illustrate it, as for issuing the Bible 



m ALL THE WORLD. 107 

without the attachment of some human authority 
to make it plain. No, no ; let it go, even as the 
sun itself goes, asking no patronage of men or 
angels, but demonstrating its Divinity by the 
silent, serene, and blissful vitality of its supreme, 
universal, and perpetual glory." 



10* 



SERMON VI, 



THE BIBLE RIGHTLY ABROAD IN ALL THE WORLD. 



" Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." 
Ps. cxxxviii. 2. 

The chief difficulty in tne treatment of our sub- 
ject — especially as it opened before us in the last 
discourse, and now continues open — arises from the 
vastness and variety of the intelligence connected 
with it. The Bible, as in part the oldest book in the 
world, as a book, the successive portions of which 
occupied, in their composition, more than fifteen 
hundred years, and as one that has become in whole 
the most sacred inheritance of mankind, has identi- 
fied itself, to a wonderful extent, with all anthropo- 
logy, geology, and astronomy ; with all chronology, 
history, and geography ; with all government, laws, 
and social institutions ; and with all religion, philo 
sophy, literature, science, and art — in a word, with 

108 



THE BIBLE RIGHTLY ABROAD. 109 

all the interests of our race. To illustrate this uni- 
versal identification, by a statement of all the facts 
in the case, is manifestly impracticable, within the 
necessary limits of such discussions as these; and, 
whatever is said, in a summary way, the remem- 
brance of what remains unsaid leaves the statement, 
at least in the consciousness of him who makes it, 
painfully meagre and poor. 

Still — abandoning all thought of developing the 
theme according to its full capacity of expansion — I 
return to it, on this occasion, in hope of exhibiting 
some of the select points which are most important 
to the purpose in hand, in a form which, however 
condensed, may, nevertheless, prove somewhat in- 
teresting and useful, and so afford a becoming con- 
tinuance, though not a conclusion of the whole dis- 
cussion. 

On the preceding occasion a single point was no- 
ticed, viz : That the Bible is abroad in all the World: 
so fairly and fully exposed that it can never again 
be concealed. It is now designed to notice two of 
certain remaining points. 

The first of these is — that the Bible was in- 
tended TO BE THUS MADE KNOWN TO THE WORLD. 

This is proved by its Character. There is nothing 
in it that needs or asks concealment. There is no 



110 THE BIBLE RIGHTLY ABROAD 

priest-craft in it. There is no king-craft in it. There 
is no special class-craft of any kind in it. On the 
contrary, it manifestly seeks the benefit of all classes. 
If it show any partiality it is not for rulers either in 
State or Church, but for the great masses of mankind, 
and especially for the most poor and afflicted. It is 
adapted to all. Examine it; analyze it; the Old 
Testament, the New Testament; the covenants re- 
corded in both; in particular the two great cove- 
nants, the Law and the Gospel; the Histories, Psalms, 
Proverbs, Prophecies, Biographies, Acts, Epistles, 
and Symbolic Visions, connected with them, and 
you cannot fail to perceive that the Bible is pre- 
eminently the People's Book, the Book, not of any 
one nation alone, but of all nations. 

This intention is proved also by its Origin. It 
originated not esoterically or secretly, but exoteri- 
cally or openly. Not a single one of its sixty-six 
books was written in a dead or sacred character 
unknown to the people. They were all written in 
the living and common tongues of the times and 
places in which they appeared. Moreover, the sub- 
stance of the most of them was orally proclaimed, in 
some instances in the presence of the assembled na- 
tion, before it was committed to writing at all. Still 
further, the authors of them, with few exceptions, 



IN ALL THE WORLD. Ill 

were neither kings or priests, courtiers or ecclesias- 
tics, but men of the people, shepherds, herdsmen, 
publicans, fishermen, and others of similar classes. 

The public intention is proved, also, by its own 
Declarations. These are exceedingly interesting, and 
I must dwell upon them, therefore, more at large, as 
connected with the Law, Psalms, and Prophets, and 
the Books of the New Testament. 

Look, for instance, at the Law — the five books of 
Moses. In the 6th ch. of Deuteronomy it is written : 
"And these words which I command thee this day 
shall be in thine heart : And thou shalt teach them 
diligently to thy children, and shalt talk of them 
when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou 
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and 
when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for 
a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets 
between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon 
the posts of thine house, and on thy gates." Such 
was the provision made for personal and family 
acquaintance with the Law. It was to be the light 
of every home in the land. 

In the 8th ch. the Israelites were taught that all 
the severe discipline they had undergone in the 
desert, for forty years, was designed to teach them 
this great truth — " that man doth not live by bread 



112 THE BIBLE RIGHTLY ABROAD 

only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the 
mouth of the Lord, doth man live." That is — their 
Law, their Religion, their communion with God by 
means of His word, was to be regarded as the true 
source and support of their personal and national 
life — their common daily food from generation to 
generation. 

•In the 11th ch., the king, by anticipation, is re- 
quired to " write him a copy of this law in a book, 
out of that which is before the priests, the Levites : 
And," it is added, "it shall be with him, and he shall 
read therein all the days of his life," &c. So that 
every palace was to be illumined, and every throne 
was to be established by the Law. 

In the 27th ch., is the record of an arrangement, 
which was also made by anticipation, for the ratifi- 
cation of the Law, after the entrance into the Pro- 
mised Land, at Mounts Gerizim and Ebal, by the 
whole assembled nation, men, women, and children, 
and the strangers associating with them. In the 8th 
ch. of Joshua, we learn that this ratification took 
place according to the arrangement ; and certainly 
it must have been one of the most grand and solemn 
scenes ever witnessed. It is expressly stated, that 
Joshua "read all the words of the law, the blessings 
and cursings, according to all that is written in the 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 113 

book of the law. There was not a word of all that 
Moses commanded which Joshua read not before all 
the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the 
little ones, and the strangers that were conversant 
among them." 

In the 30th ch. of Deuteronomy, again, there is a 
passage, in which Moses seems to exult in the con- 
stant and universal nearness and accessibleness of 
the law. "For, this commandment," he proceeds, 
"which I command thee this day, it is not hidden 
from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven 
that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to 
heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, 
and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou 
shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and 
bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 
But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, 
and in thy heart, that thou may est do it." What a 
beautiful statement this is! 

In the 31st ch., provision is made for the public 
reading of the law every seven years ; in a manner 
corresponding with the rehearsal of it by Joshua, as 
already noticed. Moses commanded the Priests and 
Elders, saying: "At the end of every seven years, 
in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast 
of tabernacles, when all Israel is come to appear be- 



114 THE BIBLE RIGHTLY ABROAD 

fore the Lord thy God in the place which he shall 
choose, thou shalt read this law, before all Israel, in 
their hearing. Gather the people together,^raen and 
women, and children, and the stranger that is within 
thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may 
learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to 
do all the words of this law. And that their children, 
which have not known anything, may hear and learn 
to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the 
land whither ye go, over Jordan, to possess it." See 
the earnestness of his desire that this publicity of the 
law should be perpetual ! 

In the same chapter, however, anticipating the 
rebellions of the people against God, Moses makes 
still another provision to secure the law. Thus it is 
said: — "And it came to pass, when Moses had made 
an end of writing the words of this law in a book, 
until they were finished, that Moses commanded 
the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of 
the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and 
put it in the side of the ark of the covenant 
of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a 
witness against thee." See that ! the reason assign- 
ed, by the Inspired Law-giver himself, for this sacred 
and secluded deposit of his autograph of the Law, 
was this — that, if his design, in relation to the pub- 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 115 

lie preservation of the record, and its practical ob- 
servance, should indeed fail, the original document 
might be brought forth, in vindication of his pur- 
pose, and in rebuke of a faithless posterity. 

In so far as the Law, therefore, is concerned, there 
cannot be the shadow of a doubt that it was intend- 
ed for universal and perpetual understanding among 
all the tribes of Israel. Nor only so ; but, it is 
equally evident that it was intended, in no small 
degree, to be understood by surrounding nations; 
and so, though only preliminary to a brighter dis- 
pensation, to shine upon the heathen world, like the 
sparkling ascent of the morning star. Thus Moses 
himself declared — " This is your wisdom and your 
understanding, in the sight of the nations, which 
shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this 
great nation is a wise and understanding people." 

Look, also, at the Psalms — and you see at once 
the express appeals to all the people. Thus in the 
47th — "Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing 
praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is 
the King of all the earth." So, in the 49th— "Hear 
this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of 
the world. Both low and high, rich and poor to- 
gether. 7 ' And again in the 50th — u The mighty 

God, even the Lord hath spoken, and called the 

11 



116 THE BIBLE RIGHTLY ABROAD 

earth, from the rising of the sun until the going 
down thereof." And so, in the 67th — "God be 
merciful unto us, and bless us, and cause his face to 
shine upon us. That thy way may be known upon 
earth, thy saving health among all nations. Let the 
people praise thee, God ; yea, let all the people 
praise thee." And so, in the 100th — " Make a joy- 
ful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands." And so, 
once more, in the 138th, the one containing our text 
— " All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O 
Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth. 
Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord ; for 
great is the glory of the Lord." 

Look, also, at the Prophets — and the same fact is 
prominent. Isaiah commences his prophecy with 
the sublime challenge — " Hear, heavens, and give 
ear, earth, for the Lord hath spoken !" In like 
manner, Jeremiah exclaims — " Oh earth, earth, earth 
hear the word of the Lord." And so. in other in- 
stances. 

When we come to the New Testament, we find 
the same distinction. Bather, the intention of pub- 
licity is still more impressively demonstrated. The 
openness of the Law is remembered ; and the Gos- 
pel is made still more popular and common. 
" Search the Scriptures" was the direction of Christ, 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 117 

in relation to the records of the Old Dispensation : 
and, in regard to the New, it is highly important, 
that we never forget such passages as the following: 
When " the high-priest asked Jesus of his disciples, 
and of his doctrine — Jesus answered him : I spake 
openly to the world : I ever taught in the synagogue, 
and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort, 
and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou 
me ? J£sk them which heard me, what I have said 
unto them: behold, they know what I said." A 
noble and glorious answer! In like manner, He 
instructed his apostles to act. When He sent them 
forth, during His own ministry, to " the house of 
Israel" alone, He not only allowed, but commanded 
them to make even His most private teachings pub- 
lic, and that at all hazards ; saying — " What I tell 
you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what 
ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the house- 
tops. And fear not them which kill the body, but 
are not able to kill the soul : but rather fear him 
which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell." 
And so, when the final, perpetual, and grandest of 
all commissions was given them, after the resurrec- 
tion of Christ, it reached the very climax of all ar- 
rangements for publicity, by saying : " Go ye into 
all the world, and preach the Gospel to every crea- 



118 THE BIBLE RIGHTLY ABROAD 

ture." In short, the world itself is not more open 
than the Gospel. And, as it is upon the tongue ; so, 
of course, it is in the book. The Book, indeed, was 
written only to make the whole revelation the more 
public ; and to keep it so, without corruption or per- 
version, from generation to generation, and from 
age to age. "I charge you," said Paul to the Thes- 
salonians, " I charge you by the Lord, that this 
Epistle be read unto all the holy brethren." And 
so, to the Colossians: "When this epistle is read 
among you, cause that it be read also in the church 
of the Laodiceans ; and that ye likewise read the 
epistle from Laodicea." Hear, hear! Eead, read! 
these are the salutations of our Holy Eeligion every- 
where ! The glad tidings are for all people. Juda- 
ism itself, with all its openness, was like a beacon on 
a mountain, or a light-house on the coast, in com- 
parison with Christianity. Christianity is like the 
sun, detached from the earth, above it, circling all 
around it, and covering it with boundless and end- 
less glory. 

So much, then, for the first point — that the Bible 
was intended to be open to the world — as proved by 
its character, by its origin, and by its declarations. 
To these proofs, I should be glad to add the illustra- 
tions offered by its history, both among Jews and 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 119 

Christians, in all the purer ages of the Church. But, 
enough has been said : and yet, I trust, not a word 
too much — for, in my own estimation, at least, it is 
a matter of unsurpassed importance, and especially 
in this age and in this country, to make it plain and 
impressive, and to keep it so, before all the people, 
that there is no secrecy, no concealment, no esoteric 
training in the Eeligion of the Bible ! Here is the 
Book! and it is not more clear that, as already 
shown, it is abroad in all the world, than it is that, 
as now appears, it was intended to be so. It 
makes no provision for retreat into any hiding- 
places. It seeks no protection in obscurity. It 
asks no patronage of Church or State. It stands 
forth, on its own merits, and so challenges the sanc- 
tion of God and the confidence of mankind. 

The second point is — that the Bible deserves to 
be thus abroad in all the world. Innumerable 
proofs are ready to respond to any proper call for 
them here. One or two, however, will be abundantly 
sufficient for the occasion. Passing, therefore, or 
rather, remembering, as we pass, the various implied 
distinctions of the divinity of its origin, the venera- 
bleness of its antiquity, the grandeur of its doctrines, 
the holiness of its precepts, and the sublimity of its 

ordinances, the variety of its incidental intelligence, 

11* 



120 THE BIBLE RIGHTLY ABROAD 

the sublimity and beauty of its style, and all similar 
sources of argument and illustration — we may rest, 
chiefly, on this fact — that the Bible interests the 
world: is of real, great, matchless interest to all 
mankind. 

It interests all Historically. The origin of our race 
is here. The primitive and proper condition of our 
race is here. The cause of its present and improper 
condition is here. The equal brotherhood of our 
race is here, with its early unity, its subsequent divi- 
sion of tongues and tribes, and the progress of terri- 
torial discoveries, and of national migrations and 
settlements. In a word, the beginnings of all history 
are here; and, without the Bible, there is nothing 
worthy the name of history. 

Again, it interests all Legally. The first principles 
of all law are here — those principles which are essen- 
tial, universal, everlasting, and from which, therefore, 
there is, and can be no appeal or escape. The master 
truth is here evident, that the constitution of the 
■universe is a moral constitution; and, of course, that 
all material elements and combinations, causes and 
consequences, are subordinate to spiritual agencies 
and destinies. The moral law, therefore, comes first, 
claiming voluntary obedience to God. The natural 
law comes next, securing involuntary, mechanical, 



IN ALL THE WORLD. 121 

and disciplinary obedience to God, according to the 
moral exigencies of His higher administration. Then 
come civil law, and ecclesiastical law, as representa- 
tive modifications and adaptations of the Divine 
Common Law ; both of them being bound by this 
Common Law to the due observance of all personal, 
domestic, and social rights — leaving all men free, 
first of all, to fulfil their duties to their God and to 
their families, and then protecting and assisting them 
in all proper efforts to promote their social and public 
elevation and improvement. In a word, the begin- 
nings of all law are likewise here ; and without the 
Bible there is nothing worthy the name of law. 

Again, it interests all Evangelically. The con- 
sciousness of sin is universal. Whether the law of 
God be in the heart alone, as among the heathen ; or 
in the heart, and Book both, as among ourselves ; it 
is not more plain that the law exists, than it is that 
it has been broken. But, here is the atonement for 
sin : an atonement made by the blood of the Son of 
God, acting as Mediator between God and men ; an 
atonement designed to make God and man one again : 
an atonement, meeting the utmost claims of the law, 
and proffering its benefits, without exception of na- 
tion or respect of person, to the whole world of trans- 
gressors. Here, moreover, is provision for the rege- 



122 THE BIBLE RIGHTLY ABROAD 

neration of our nature — that, being renewed by the 
agency of the Holy Ghost, we may recover ability, 
in spirit at least, to keep the law; awakening to a 
life of holy love toward God and all our race. Here, 
in a word, the consciousness of sin may be exchanged 
for the consciousness of deliverance from sin; all 
remorse for the past, and fear of the future, being 
succeeded by perfect peace, and the gladness and 
glory of heavenly expectation. In all the world, 
without the Bible, there is nothing which it would 
not be an utter disgrace to call salvation. 

Again, it interests all Prophetically. A better 
time to come, has been the presentiment of every 
age; the delusion, or the warranted assurance, of 
all generations. With the Bible before us, we have 
no doubt of the happier theory. God has declared 
"the restitution of all things" — "by the mouth of all 
his holy prophets since the world began." When 
the promise of a Saviour was first announced in 
the Garden of Eden, the Angel of Hope stood by 
the side of the Almighty, and, as soon as she heard 
the joyful news, began to sing the song that ever 
since has charmed the waiting heavens and earth. 
Paradise withered, indeed; and the outer world soon 
smoked with the curse; but, when the last leaf fell 
from the Tree of Life, and the first fire flashed from 



IN ALL TIIE WORLD. 123 

the volcanic peak, Hope, unalarmed, prolonged her 
certain chant as sweetly and serenely as ever. Then 
the Deluge swept from pole to pole ; but, over the 
sea and over the storm the seraph sunned herself in 
the smile of the Highest, and, now looking down 
through the clouds at the Ark, and anon looking 
up through the glory at the Throne, she floated 
through the changeless sky with heart as calm and 
plumes as smooth as ever — singing as soft a strain 
and as sure a triumph as in any moment of beauty 
and bliss before. True : when Jesus died, she did, 
indeed, stand shuddering by the cross, hiding her 
face with her wings ; and, when He was buried, she 
sat in the shadow of His sepulchre, weeping with 
sympathy if not with fear, and watching, wondering, 
for the breaking of that strange repose ; but, when 
He rose — instantly the morning star was startled, 
and thrilled in its sphere, with the electric rapture of 
her song renewed. And still she sings, though many, 
now, alas! mistake her strain. "The good times 
coming" are all her own, and infinitely better than 
myriads of the friends of progress have ever imag- 
ined ; but, the Angel never forgets that Christ alone 
can bring them ! The resurrection of Christ was the 
pledge of our own resurrection; the ascension of 
Christ was the symbol of our own ascension ; and 



124 THE BIBLE RIGHTLY ABROAD 

the return of Christ will be the signal of the new 
creation, and the consummate enthronement of im- 
mortal joy. Such is the prophecy of the Bible; 
but, without the Bible, there is nothing worthy the 
name of prophecy. 

So much for the second point — that the Bible de- 
serves to be out before the world. It interests the 
world — Historically, Legally, Evangelically, and Pro- 
phetically. I would like to add — Philosophically: 
for the soul of all philosophy is here. I would like 
to add, Poetically : for the bloom of all poetry is here. 
I would like to add, Divinely: for the unveiled 
splendor of the majesty and government of the 
Eternal Jehovah is here. Here, and here only, is 
an absolutely inexhaustible universe of reliable in- 
telligence : personally and socially, temporally and 
eternally interesting to every faculty and to every 
destiny of our race. But, these hints must suffice: 
where the longest and richest discourse would still 
fall short of the fulness of the theme. 



SEKMON VII. 



THE BIBLE OPPOSED.-!. ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 



"Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name J 7 
Ps. cxxxviii. 2. 

In the preceding discourse we noticed the fact 
that the Bible is rightly abroad in all the 
world, as it was intended and deserves to be 
thus made common. 

On the present occasion we advance to another 
fact in the same connection, — viz. : That the 
Bible, being thus abroad in all the world, is 
extensively and violently opposed. The proofs 
here are sadly numerous and prominent. Rather, 
they have multiplied into simple but awful illus- 
trations of an obvious fact which no one disputes. 
It is only needful, therefore, to cite a few instances, 
and form some estimate of their force. 

The ancient opposition was either Jewish or 

125 



126 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

Pagan : Jewish, — against the Christian Scriptures 
afone ; Pagan, — against the Jewish and Christian 
Scriptures both. The Pagan opposition, in par- 
ticular, was either philosophical, mythological, or 
political, — a defensive and desperate effort to repel 
the unarmed but mighty and irresistible aggres- 
sions of Christianity on all the forms and interests 
of scholastic speculation, popular idolatry, and 
imperial corruption and oppression. In this con- 
nection, such names as those of Celsus, Porphyry, 
Hierocles, and Julian appear. 

The modern opposition has been, and is, either 
Pagan, Mohammedan, Jewish, or nominally Chris- 
tian. Pagan opposition still numbers hundreds 
of millions of persons, — constituting a large ma- 
jority of mankind; but, generally speaking, it is 
ignorant, rude, and inactive, — a vast, passive mass, 
surrounding Christendom, but apparently ready 
to yield to united and earnest pressure at every 
point. Both absolutely and relatively, it is a 
very feeble obstruction, in comparison with the 
dominant, haughty, and highly-accomplished hea- 
thenism of the olden times. Mohammedanism, 
also, numbers more than a hundred millions of 
opponents ; but this opposition, in like manner, is 
passive, and fast yielding to pressure. It is now 
as nothing, when compared with its terrific mag- 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 127 

nificence iu the Middle Ages. Jewish opposition 
numbers, perhaps, from six to eight, or even ten, 
millions, in all the world. But this also is pas- 
sive. Broken and scattered as it is, its fragments 
lie hidden, or rise up lonely, in all regions of 
society, like so many isolated rocks in all the 
seas. These forms of hostility, therefore, may be 
passed without further consideration. There is 
nothing threatening in any of them. Bather, 
they all invite exertions to subvert and remove 
them. Would God there were union enough 
among Christians to enable them to avail them- 
selves of the glorious opportunity ! 

Strange to say, however, it is within the range 
of nominal Christendom that active hostility to 
the Bible chiefly prevails. Here are the main 
difficulties in the way of its universal circulation, 
reception, and supremacy. This opposition may 
be sufficiently intimated, in a summary way, as 
Ecclesiastical, Civil, Social, and Personal. 

I begin with the Ecclesiastical ; because, mar- 
vellous as the fact may seem, it is nevertheless in- 
stantly demonstrable that the root of the evil is 
here. What is the chief organic power in Chris- 
tendom at the present moment? It must be 
either the ecclesiastical or the civil; but which 

of the two is it? It is a maxim that "In union 

12 



128 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

there is strength." Which, then, is the more 
united? It it not the ecclesiastical? Do not 
Grecianism, Eomanism, and Protestantism cover, 
or at least control, the whole Christian world? 
See the Greek Church, — in Greece itself, and 
throughout the tri-continental Eussian Empire, to 
say nothing of its extra and ancient connections 
with Turkey, Syria, Egypt, and Abyssinia. See 
the Roman Church, — in Italy, Austria, France, 
Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, 
Peru, Bolivia, Chili, Brazil, Buenos Ayres, and 
other smaller states, and the colonial dependencies 
of all, — besides its tolerated and ambitious settle- 
ments in nearly all Protestant countries. And 
see Protestantism, — notwithstanding its schisms, 
still showing somewhat of a common sympathy, 
— in Great Britain, Holland, Switzerland, Prussia, 
Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the United States, 
with the colonial extensions of all throughout the 
world. JSTow, is it not plain that either of these 
three great ecclesiastical systems must be stronger 
than any one of the civil powers within whose 
limits it prevails ? Nay, in relation to the direc- 
tion of religious affairs, — which certainly are the 
chief interests of mankind, — is it not plain that 
the ecclesiastical system must be superior to all 
the civil powers within its range ? For instance, 






ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 129 

with regard to the attitude assumed toward the 
Bible : will not the civil powers be greatly influ- 
enced, if not entirely controlled, by the authorita- 
tive dictation of the ecclesiastical system, or the 
public sentiment excited by it? If the Greek 
Church shall say, I think it expedient to dis- 
courage, or, at any rate, to restrict, the circulation 
of the Bible, will not the states in which it is 
established co-operate accordingly ? If the Roman 
Church shall say, I positively prohibit the distri- 
bution of the Bible, will not the states in which it is 
established enforce the prohibition ? If even the 
Protestant Churches say, Beware of the Bible, 
without some one of our conflicting creeds, litur- 
gies, or forms of government, to accompany it, 
will not Protestant nations, however free and en- 
lightened, pause, and hesitate, and fear ? 

See! we are not without facts in the case. 
Rather, facts are innumerable, and of the most 
impressive and decisive character. A brief glance 
at the history of the British and Foreign Bible 
Society will give us as many illustrations as we 
need. This institution has just celebrated its first 
jubilee; having originated in 1803, — fifty years 
ago. It had but one object, — the circulation of 
the Scriptures, without note or comment, through- 
out the world. It cordially invited to its aid all 



130 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

denominations of Christians. "What was the re- 
sult? Besides other investigations, I have again 
gone through Mr. Owen's history of the first ten 
years of that Society — a book which I always read 
with the greatest interest — on purpose to be able 
to answer. A few words will suffice for a sum- 
mary statement. 

The Greek Church, theoretically, concedes the 
right and enjoins the duty of reading the Scrip- 
tures; meaning by the Scriptures the same 
Canonical books as our own, — excluding the Apo- 
crypha. At first, the indications of favor on the 
part of this Church in relation to the Bible 
Society were exceedingly encouraging. In 1813, 
a national institution of this kind was formed in 
St. Petersburg, under the immediate patronage 
of the Emperor Alexander, and with the most 
brilliant accompaniments of princely, prelatical, 
and popular approbation and rejoicing. Indeed, 
it is said that "Jews and Christians, Russians and 
Armenians, Catholics and Protestants, with one 
voice acknowledged that the British and Foreign 
Bible Society was the wonder of the nineteenth 
century, and the only adequate means ever de- 
vised for civilizing and evangelizing the world.' ' 
Thus emboldened, the St. Petersburg Society re- 
solved that its object should be " To provide every 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 131 

family ', and, if practicable, every individual in the 
Russian Empire, with a Bible, that invaluable gift 
of heaven*" It was expected that "the gospel 
of the grace of God" would be made to "sound 
out from the shores of the Baltic to the Eastern 
Ocean, and from the Frozen Ocean to the Black 
Sea and the borders of China, by putting into 
the hands of Christians and Mohammedans, of 
Lamaites and the votaries of Shaman, with many 
other .heathen tribes, the Oracles of the living 
God." In a word, that year was to be "memo- 
rable" — on account of this Eussian organization 
• — "to the latest posterity." In like manner, the 
British Society was successful in Malta, Sicily, and 
the Greek Islands, and, in 1814, " Cyril, Arch- 
bishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and (Ecu- 
menical Patriarch," declared "the object of the 
Society highly laudable," approved its edition of 
the New Testament in particular, and gave "per- 
mission for it to be used and read by all pious, 
united, and orthodox Christians ; to be sold in the 
booksellers' shops ; and to be bought freely by all 
who wish it, without any one making the least 
hesitation." By such combined means, it seemed 
as though the utmost circumference of the Greek 
Church was thrown open to unhindered Bible 

occupancy. 

12* 



132 THE BIBLE OPPOSED : 

All this, however, was little more than apparent 
progress. It was like the advance of an ocean- 
wave, — which, let it swell and curl and foam as 
largely, grandly, and beautifully as it may, must 
nevertheless break as soon as it touches the coast, 
sink into the undercurrent, and retire from the 
scene. The Greek Church holds to the Divine 
authority of tradition : and tradition now, as ever, 
makes the word of God of none effect. Church- 
men and statesmen unite in the preference of tra- 
ditional institutions, notwithstanding their accu- 
mulations of falsehood and injustice, to the true 
and equal requirements of the Scriptures ; because 
their personal and party interests are identified 
with such conservatism. Of course, as soon as the 
Bible wave struck upon the strand of tradition, it 
was turned back. In 1826, another Imperial ukase 
suspended the Russian Bible Society; nor has any 
resumption of it, I believe, ever been allowed. 
A Protestant Bible Society, with comparatively 
limited range and resources, was soon substituted, 
and is still in action; but nothing more is suf- 
fered. The Greek Church, with its fifty millions 
of members, stands aloof; nor is a single one of 
these members, from the prince to the peasant, at 
liberty to leave it for another. Referring to this 
change of policy, the Archbishop of Upsal, in 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 133 

Sweden, remarks, in his "Review of the Church of 
Christ" that the interest in the Bible Society 
" was, no doubt, not very warm, as this Church 
makes less account of the word of God than of ex- 
ternal ceremonies. The will of the Emperor was 
almost passively obeyed, as well at the institution 
as at the abolition of the Bible Society.' ' In like 
manner, in 1836, the Patriarch of Constantinople 
" published an interdict against all Protestant edi- 
tions of the Bible, and translations of it into 
modern Greek, the Turkish, Arabic, Bulgaric, Sla- 
vonic, and other languages." In 1837, he "forbade 
the reading of the Bible or other writings pub- 
lished by the Bible Society in London," on pain 
of "excommunication and other punishments." 
Indeed, a commission seized "all books of this 
description" found in the city, and burned them 
"in the palace of the patriarch." That the same 
spirit still prevails is evident from the recent 
prosecution and imprisonment of Dr. King, at 
Athens, for preaching in his own house, and 
under the protection of the American flag, to a 
few people, in a way supposed to conflict with the 
" holy canons and the traditions of the Eastern 
Church." In a word, the Greek Church mani- 
festly prefers tradition to the Bible; is afraid the 
Bible will overthrow tradition, and summons the 



184 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

State to its aid, in guarding its interests, at every 
point, against the Bible. "With all its docu- 
mentary concessions to the Scriptures, it execu- 
tively withholds them from the masses of its 
people, and so perpetuates ignorance and slavery 
together. 

The Eoman Church, unlike the Greek, neither 
enjoins the duty, or concedes the right, of read- 
ing the Bible. It teaches that the indiscriminate 
use of it is productive of more evil than good. 
The Council of Trent did, indeed, authorize 
bishops and inquisitors, under certain circum- 
stances, to give written permission to read trans- 
lations of it by Catholic authors; but even this, it 
must be remembered, when given, is not a per- 
mission to understand the Bible, but, strictly and 
only, to read it. No Eoman bishop or inquisitor 
on earth is authorized to permit a member of the 
Church to understand the Bible for himself. 
In the language of the amiable Charles But- 
ler in his "Horce Biblicce" "Every Roman Ca- 
tholic receives the Scripture from the Church, 
under her authority, and with her interpreta- 
tion." 

The standard Eoman Bible is the ancient Latin 
Vulgate, — including the Apocrypha. This is a 
remarkable fact. It is remarkable that the 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 135 

Apocrypha should be included in the Sacred 
Canon, contrary to the testimony of the Jews 
and the primitive Christians, not forgetting St. 
Jerome himself. But the title of the standard, 
in contrast with the practice of the Church, is 
still more remarkable. The Vulgate, — L e. the 
Bible in the vulgar, or common tongue; for 
vulgar, or common, use. Originally, the Vul- 
gate was a Vulgate, — a version from the Hebrew 
and Greek into the common language of Eome ; 
and that, too, at a time when the reading and 
interpretation of the Scriptures were among the 
most familiar exercises of the people. But now, 
though this Vulgate is no longer a Vulgate, it is 
still called the Vulgate, and is the standard of the 
Church which is so much opposed to all real Vul- 
gates. True, it would have been impossible to 
select a standard which was not once a Vulgate ; 
for all the inspired books were originally Vul- 
gates, and intended to be multiplied and per- 
petuated as Vulgates, among all nations, to the 
end of the world. But the peculiarity of the 
Roman Church is, that it supersedes the Hebrew 
and Greek originals by the dead Latin Vulgate, 
and then fulminates wrath against the free use of 
Italian, German, French, Spanish, English, and 
all other living Vulgates. Doubtless, the hie- 



136 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

rarchy wishes that these were as dead as the 
Latin. 

Under such circumstances, it was a matter of 
great surprise and great pleasure to the British 
and Foreign Bible Society to find its early move- 
ments, in many instances, most heartily responded 
to by Roman Catholics. In answer to the in- 
quiry, "Whether the Bible was still prohibited 
to the Catholics?" a Suabian priest declared, 
"Properly speaking, the Bible has never been 
prohibited to the Catholics." This priest ap- 
peared to be delighted with the new institution, 
and promised "some attempts" toward "the 
formation of a similar Bible Society among the 
Roman Catholics." At Ratisbon, such a Society 
was formed, under the care of the "Director of 
the Ecclesiastical Seminary in that place." By 
this Society the New Testament was "largely and 
most acceptably distributed in Austria, Bavaria, 
and Switzerland : many Catholic clergymen pub- 
licly recommended the perusal of them from their 
pulpits;" and one of them declared, "The Bible 
is now read by students, by the people, and even 
by children." A Bavarian priest addressed the 
British Society in these terms: — "United to 
Christ, we are united to each other: neither con- 
tinents nor seas, neither various form3 of govern- 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 137 

merit, nor different outward confessions of re- 
ligion, can separate us: all these things pass 
away, but love abideth." The Catholic Pro- 
fessor of Divinity in the University of Marburg 
"described the solicitude of the people to obtain 
the Scriptures as exceeding not only his means 
of supplying them, but almost any conception 
which the most sanguine mind could ever have 
entertained.' ' "The prejudices of our clergy- 
men," said he, "against laymen's reading the 
Bible are gradually disappearing: many begin 
even to promote its dissemination." Similar en- 
couraging intelligence was received from Ire- 
land, France, Sicily, Malta, and other points in 
Europe ; from Madras, and the coast of Malabar, 
in the East, and from North and South America. 
Several bishops, a vicar-general, a director of an 
ecclesiastical seminary, professors, priests, and 
people, united in these demonstrations. True, 
there was no Roman Catholic monarch to imitate 
the Emperor Alexander in the foundation of a 
National Bible Society; nor did the Pope of 
Rome follow the example of his brother of Con- 
stantinople, in commending the object of the 
London Institution and allowing the sale and dis- 
tribution of its publications. But, nevertheless, the 
indications were far more favorable than had been 



138 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

anticipated, — sufficient to suggest, if not to justify, 
the thought that even Rome itself might, at last, 
somewhat abate its hostility to the word of God. 

Vain hope ! Eome is fast bound, fast as fate, by 
its own infallibility. It cannot change. It must 
either triumph or be destroyed, — triumph over 
the Bible, or be destroyed by the Bible. There- 
fore its speedy and violent uprising against the 
Bible Society. " We have been truly shocked" 
— said Pius VII. in a Papal brief issued in 1816 — 
" we have been truly shocked at this most crafty 
device, by which the very foundations of religion are 
undermined" See that! How much better the 
Pope understood the matter than the innocent 
and charitable subordinates to whom I have re- 
ferred ! He saw, and rightly enough too, the 
Vatican, St. Peter's, all Rome, ready to be fired 
and consumed, and felt the preliminary tremor 
of the seven hills. " We again and again exhort 
you" — he continued — "that, whatever you can 
achieve by power, provide for by counsel, or 
effect by authority, you will daily execute with 
the utmost earnestness." Nor was this enough. 
Hear the appeal of Leo XII., in 1824, to all "the 
Roman Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and 
Bishops :" — "You are aware, Venerable Brethren, 
that a certain Society, commonly called the Bible 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 139 

Society, strolls with effrontery throughout the 
world; w T hich Society, contemning the traditions of 
the holy fathers, and contrary to the well-known de- 
cree of the Council of Trent, labors with all its mighty 
and by every means, to translate — or rather to per- 
vert — the Holy Bible, into the vulgar languages of 
every nation; from which proceeding it is greatly to 
be feared, that what is ascertained to have happened 
as to some passages may occur with regard to 
others; to wit, "that, by a perverse interpreta- 
tion, the gospel of Christ be turned into a human 
gospel, or, what is still worse, into the gospel of 
the devil." See! there it is again! — the old oppo- 
sition of tradition to the Bible ! Alas ! that very 
tradition, which the Pope was so anxious to save, 
— that is the "human gospel," that is the "gos- 
pel of the devil ;" and the great relief is that the 
Bible has come forth to save mankind from it. 
But — the Pope concludes — "Again, therefore, we 
exhort you, that your courage fail not. The 
power of temporal princes will, we trust in the 
Lord, come to your assistance, whose interest, as 
reason and experience show, is concerned when the 
authority of the Church is questioned, 1 ' &c. "A 
very intelligible intimation," adds Mr. Mendham, 
from whose work on the ^Literary Policy of the 
Cliurch of Borne" I have copied these Papal sen- 

V6 



140 THE BIBLE OPPOSED* 

tences, "and, in favorable times, well fitted to 
produce a crusade. 1 ' 

So much for the Roman Church ; and, to show 
its controlling influence over the temporal princes 
to whom it appeals for aid, it may be added that 
there is not a Papal state in the world from which 
the Bible Society is not utterly excluded, or with- 
in which its progress is not met at every step by 
the sternest hostility. At least, I know not of a 
single exception. I find the Society rejoicing, 
indeed, in some of its latest reports, in certain 
successes in Belgium and France ; but even these 
have been hardly won. In Italy, it is acknow- 
ledged that " stern despotism restrains the free- 
dom of opinion :" in Austria and Hungary, " dif- 
ficulties are in the way :" "Spain and Portugal," 
it is said, "are still, for the most part, closed 
against the general dissemination of the Scrip- 
tures :" and so in other cases. The recent perse- 
cution of the Madiai, by the Grand Duke of Tus- 
cany, illustrates the spirit of Romanism every- 
where, — an instance in which the intercessions of 
all Protestant Christendom could scarcely procure 
the liberation of two humble Bible-readers, hus- 
band and wife, from separate, interdistant, pro- 
tracted, and almost fatal, imprisonment. Doubt- 
less, if the hierarchy had the power, every faithful 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 141 

Bible-reader on earth would be shut up in a prison 
from which there should be no release, — except by 
death. I say this, because, as already stated, it 
is a death-struggle. Rome, or the Bible, must 
perish. 

But now let us turn to the Protestant 
Churches. These profess to reject the authority 
of tradition, and unite in asserting the Bible as 
the only rule of faith and practice. Of course, 
they both theoretically and practically concede 
the right, and enjoin the duty, of reading the 
Scriptures. Indeed, the principles which origin- 
ated and justify their existence imperatively de- 
mand that the whole world shall be filled with 
Bibles and Bible readers. 

The Hebrew and Greek originals form the 
standard Protestant Bible, — excluding the Apo- 
crypha. These originals, and all versions of 
them, ancient and modern, authorized and un- 
authorized, correct and incorrect, are held to be 
of right open to all who can read them, — the 
responsibility of treating them properly resting 
upon those who receive them, and who must 
account to God for the use they make of them. 

When the British and Foreign Bible Society 
commenced its operations, Protestants generally 
hailed it with gratitude, joy, and hope. To give 



142 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

the facts which illustrate this statement would re- 
quire a large volume. Suffice it to say that in 
about ten years the London Institution was sur- 
rounded by more than five hundred auxiliary 
associations, in Great Britain, Ireland, and the 
adjacent islands; fifty other Societies, with various 
auxiliaries, had been established in different coun- 
tries on the European continent, five in Asia, two 
in Africa, two in the West Indies, and one hun- 
dred and twenty-nine on the American continent. 
Some $500,000 had been expended; and nearly 
1,500,000 Bibles and Testaments issued, in sixty- 
three languages and dialects. Sixteen years later, 
— that is, in 1833, — the interest in this great work 
had increased to such a degree that it was seri- 
ously proposed to the Bible Societies of this and 
other countries, by one of our Presbyterian 
clergymen, " to attempt to supply, within twenty 
years, the entire reading-population of the world 
with the Holy Scriptures. " Although the pro- 
position was warmly encouraged, more than 
twenty years have elapsed, and the world is yet 
far from being thoroughly supplied. Never- 
theless, as was noticed in a preceding discourse, 
the printed versions now number two hundred 
and seventy ; and the Bibles and Testaments is- 
sued amount to more than 54,000,000. So far, 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 1^3 

at least, Piotestantism has sustained its pro- 
fessions ; to say nothing of all it has accomplished 
in illustration, publication, and circulation of the 
Bible through a thousand other agencies. 

But here, also, certain great drawbacks appear, 
which cannot be conscientiously disregarded. 
The Greek and Roman Churches are not the only 
ones that oppose the Bible. It is a sad truth, 
patent before heaven and earth, that the Pro- 
testant Churches also, to a great extent, are incon- 
sistently involved in the same censure. 

Protestantism is remarkable for its sectarian- 
ism. The Bible opposes sectarianism, and secta- 
rianism, therefore, opposes the Bible. The Bible, 
however, acts in God's name; but sectarianism 
reacts in despite of God's name. That is, so far 
as this opposition goes, Protestant sectarianism, 
just like Grecianism and Romanism, prefers its 
own inventions, with their accompanying digni- 
ties, powers, and emoluments, to the supreme 
claims of truth and charity; and so, like its 
antique rivals, though not so grossly or gro- 
tesquely as they, " makes the commandments of 
God of none effect." 

Protestant sectarianism is either Established, 
Dissenting, or Independent. Cranmerian Episco- 
palianism is established by the State in England 

13* 



144 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

and Ireland; Calvinian Presbyterianism in Scot- 
land, Holland, and Switzerland; and Lutheran* 
ism, whether Episcopal or Presbyterial, in Prussia 
and throughout Northern Germany generally, in 
Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. In England 
and Ireland, dissenting sects are numerous ; so in 
Scotland, and so in Holland; but in Switzerland, 
and in several of the Lutheran States, dissent is 
scarcely tolerated. In Sweden, a native quitting 
the National Church for another becomes liable 
to imprisonment or exile. Where no Establish- 
ment exists, there, of course, are no Dissenters. 
Thus, in our own country, notwithstanding the 
frequent abuse of the term, we have, and can 
have, no Dissenters. Here all sects are alike 
independent. 

Now, what I affirm is this : that nearly all Pro- 
testant sects, whether Established, Dissenting, or 
Independent, are involved, to some extent, in the 
censure chiefly applied to the Greek and Roman 
Churches: that is, they are constitutionally and 
practically opposed to the use of the Bible alone. 
The Greek Church will admit the Bible, with tra- 
dition. So will the Church of Rome. The sin of 
both churches is, that they prefer tradition to the 
Bible, and are afraid the Bible will destroy tra- 
dition. So, in their lesser measure, it is with 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 145 

most of the Protestant Churches. They have 
traditions, — authoritative traditions, — traditional 
creeds, governments, ordinances, and interests; 
and they prefer these traditions to the Bible. 
They accept the Bible with the traditions, but 
refuse the Bible without the traditions. True, 
this is a great inconsistency; but, nevertheless, it 
is a fact, as already stated, patent before heaven 
and earth. If I be referred to the distribution of 
the Bible, by means of the Bible Society, as con- 
flicting with this statement; I answer, that is just 
exactly the difference between the Bible Society 
and the sects : the Bible Society sends the Bible 
alone, without note or comment, into all the 
world, while the sects invariably send their tra- 
ditions with the Bible. If it be further objected, 
that nearly all these sects encourage and assist the 
Bible Society; I answer, that is because Pro- 
testantism, unlike Romanism, holds that the Bible 
alone will do more good than evil, even among 
the masses outside of the sects ; and, besides this, 
that it is the best weapon, by itself, that can possi- 
bly be employed for the overthrow of Romanism, 
and all other anti-Protestant systems: but let 
any of the Bible converts, outside of the sects, 
come to the sects for admission to membership 
and the advantages of Christian communion, and 



146 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

instantly it appears that, not the Bible alone, but 
the Bible and tradition together guard the gate- 
ways, and, moreover, that when the Bible is satis- 
fied, tradition still insists on terms which the 
Bible does not warrant, and from the imposition 
of which it sadly retires, waiting in patience for 
God's own time of its proper and exclusive 
supremacy. 

This Protestant opposition to the Bible is im- 
pressively evident in the history of the Esta- 
blished sects; and more particularly in the con- 
duct of the Church of England toward the 
British and Foreign Bible Society. Indeed, it 
might be remarked here, that the very existence 
of an Establishment, either with or without the 
toleration of Dissenters, is an organic and con- 
tinuous opposition to the Bible. It is the intru- 
sion of human authority into the house of God ; 
dividing His family; cherishing and enriching 
one part, and dispossessing and disinheriting 
another. It excites pride, vanity, and all cor- 
ruption, on one side, and envy, hatred, and bitter 
denunciation, on the other. Not the Bible, but 
the Church, becomes the primary interest; and 
the circulation of the Bible by itself must be 
hindered, for fear of endangering the Church. 

For instance, to return to the case specified, 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 147 

there are two institutions, older than the Bible 
Society, connected with the Church of England, 
and controlled, exclusively, by its members. 
One is "The Society for Promoting Christian Know- 
ledge;" the other, "The Society for the Propagation 
of the Gospel in Foreign Parts." Now, is it possi- 
ble to imagine any thing more incongruous than 
that two Societies, with such titles as these, 
should be arrayed against the Bible Society? 
Yet they have been, and especially the former, 
ever since the Bible Society was organized ! 
They are the mediums through which the hos- 
tility of the higher powers of the Establishment 
is, in part, manifested. But why is this? Is not 
the end of all these institutions the same? Does 
not the Bible Society promote Christian know- 
ledge ? Does not the Bible Society propagate the 
gospel in foreign parts? Certainly, and in the 
purest form. And yet, their end is not the 
same. The Bible Society is a great Protestant 
Institution, — nay, a great Christian Institution, — 
above all sects. But the others are sectarian So- 
cieties, — Societies that prefer sectarianism, within 
the Establishment, to Christianity throughout the 
world. See! the old Societies distribute the 
Bible and Prayer-Book together; the new So- 
ciety circulates the Bible alone. The old So- 



148 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

cieties send out the Bible, accompanied by the 
Creed, Liturgy, and Government to guard it; the 
new Society issues the Bible, without note or 
comment, trusting its defence to the God who 
gave it. The old Societies seek to subject men 
to human authority; the new Society urges only 
.Divine authority. The old Societies would make 
men sectarians; the new Society strives to 
make them Protestant and Evangelical Chris- 
tians. Surely, here are reasons enough for op- 
position: and it is almost incredible to what an 
extent, especially in the beginning, this opposi- 
tion was carried. " Supply these men with 
Bibles," said one, alluding to Dissenters, "and 
you supply them with arms against yourself." 
" Some of these books," said another, "are ex- 
clusively fit for the meditation of the learned." 
" Out of sixty-six books which form the contents 
of the Old and New Testaments, not above seven 
in the Old, nor above eleven in the New, appear 
to be calculated for the study or comprehension 
of the unlearned." The most distinguished com- 
batant against the new cause insisted upon the 
danger "to the Established Church from the 
practice of neglecting to give the Prayer-Booh 
with the Bible." Even Romanists congratulated 
their Anglican brethren on the adoption of tin 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 149 

Roman principle, " that true religion cannot be 
found by the Bible alone" and on their con- 
sequent opposition to the distribution of the 
Bible alone., This early and strange warfare, I 
regret to add, is perpetuated to this day ; though 
it should not be forgotten that the Evangelical 
party is free from this High-Church reproach. 

Jn regard to the Dissenting sects of Protestants 
in Europe, I am not aware that any one of them 
has ever exhibited this kind of hostility. Their 
general, if not universal, co-operation in the Bible 
cause is the great relief in the case, and one of 
the chief excitants of the hope of a better future. 
The only opposition to the Bible here charged 
upon them is, their maintenance of the principle of 
false authority, by which, to a great extent, the 
Bible is nullified. That is, the Bible plainly and 
positively requires Christian union, universal 
Christian union, the oneness of Christ's minis- 
try and people throughout the world. The Greeks 
have broken this union by their traditions. Ro- 
manists have broken it by their traditions. Pro- 
testant State establishments have broken it by 
their traditions. And Dissenters multiply the 
fractures and the fragments by their traditions. 
The principle, in all parties, is precisely the same. 
The only difference is in its practical applications. 



150 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

It is false authority added to, or substituting, true 
authority. It is the authority of man embar- 
rassing or annulling the authority of God. 

So it is with the Independent sects of our own 
country. Though the Greek Church has no ex- 
istence here, though the Eoman Church is merely 
represented by a small minority, and that exposed 
to the full blaze of the open Bible, and though 
there is no domineering Protestant Establishment 
to overshadow our States and give just occasion to 
dissent, still, free and equal and enlightened as we 
are, old prejudices continue to haunt us with such 
an awe and majesty to whatever is superstitious 
within us, that even we too bow down to false au- 
thority ; even we too consent that tradition shall 
supersede the illustrious symbol which God him- 
self has magnified, not only above all our names, 
but even above all His own name ; above all the 
radiant and reflected splendors of all the circling 
spheres in immensity, and all the living glories 
that veil their faces at His throne, or gild the out- 
line of His empire with the golden beauty of their 
love-commissioned and untiring flight. 

The results of this general Protestant deflection 
from the right course are sadly evident. For 
instance, sects have multiplied beyond all former ex- 
ample. In the Greek, Roman, and Parliamentary 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 151 

Churches, tradition may be said to have changed 
its office. It no longer divides, but compacts. 
Not so among dissenting and independent Pro- 
testants. If old traditions displease them they 
are at liberty to make new ones. Instead of 
casting away the whole system, they have used 
this liberty. Now, therefore, instead of con- 
stituting, as they ought, one great Bible com- 
munion, their separate denominations outnumber, 
I presume, all Protestant State Establishments, 
and all organic Greek and Roman diversities, put 
together. 

I am aware that the attempt is often made to 
form a parallel of Roman and Protestant divisions. 
Vain effort! Roman divisions are all subject to a 
supreme Union. The Pope employs them as he 
pleases. It is not so with Protestants. They 
have no controlling centre. They acknowledge, 
indeed, the Bible; but, in regard to Christian 
union, they do not obey it. The Bible is not a 
pope. It is not a living agent, with power to 
enforce its decrees. It claims rational, voluntary, 
and happy obedience. So far, Protestants are not 
fully prepared for this. They are approaching it, 
but have not reached it. For the present, there- 
fore, unlike Rome, they are disunited. 

But, some may ask, should all true Christians 

14 



152 THE BIBLE OPPOSED! 

be fused into one great ecclesiastical amalgam? 
Not at all ! That is the effort of the Greek Church, 
— of the Roman Church, — of the Parliamentary 
Churches, — of all Churches with visible and con- 
trolling centralizations. I understand it, as "the 
mind of Christ,' ' that there shall be no visible 
and controlling centre but the Bible; no pope, 
either man or council ; no pope, at Constantino- 
ple, Rome, or London ; no pope, in any province 
or district, however small; no pope, over any 
circle of congregations, or in any particular con- 
gregation. " Call no man your father upon the 
earth ; for one is your Father, which is in heaven." 
Christian union is the opposite of all popery, from 
the lowest to the highest. Christian union is the 
union of Christians, — union on the basis of the 
Bible alone, and for the promotion of the pur- 
poses of the Bible alone. It may be beautifully 
exemplified by a single congregation. It may be 
grandly extended, so as to convene, for sympa- 
thetic but unauthoritative co-operation, the repre- 
sentatives of all the congregations of a city, a 
state, a nation, or the world. Wherever it pre- 
vails, it is voluntary, cordial, and free. 

But, others may ask, What should be done 
with the traditions ?— the creeds, canons, liturgies, 
forms of worship, forms of administering the ordi- 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 153 

nances, forms of government, &c. &c. ? I believe 
the Christian answer to be, substantially, this: — 
Deprive them of their authority — their false, 
divisive, Bible-supplanting authority — and you 
may do almost any thing you please with them. 
Without authority, they would sink into their 
proper relations. They would constitute a curious 
class of ecclesiastical literature, and might be 
used or not used, modified or even multiplied, 
preserved or destroyed, at pleasure.* What is 

* The author thinks it no inconsistency to acknowledge here a 
special attachment to what is commonly called The Apostles' Creed. 
It is not speculative, not metaphysical, not philosophical, not in 
any way scholastieally presumptuous or vain, but simply, briefly, 
beautifully, solemnly, scripturally, and satisfactorily narrative and 
doctrinal. He loves to recite it in fellowship with living Christians 
and the remembered ages. Moreover, he has sometimes imagined 
that there is an important prophetic recognition of it in the Apoca- 
lypse in connection with the latter-day glory of the Church. He 
is not in the habit, however, of yielding to imagination where 
truth and right are in question. Especially, he would make no 
concession to false authority in any relation. He would not suffer 
the Apostles' Creed or any other to be imposed upon him. 

It may not be idle to add, that the Swedish Church reads, in 
one clause, not the holy Catholic Church, but one holy Christian 
Church. See the "Review of the Church of Christ" page 143, by 
the late Archbishop of Upsal. 

Similar qualified acknowledgments might be made in respect of 
the beauty and dignity of many ecclesiastical formularies, but, as 
instruments of division, they are mournful inventions. 



154 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

here insisted upon is this: — That it is a sub- 
version of the authority of our Lord and Savior 
Jesus Christ — and that in relation to a point in 
which he most pathetically manifested a special 
interest — to allow these traditions to break up 
the unity of his ministry and people ; and there- 
fore, let what will become of the traditions them- 
selves, that they ought to be, must and will be, 
divested of the power to perpetuate and multiply 
schisms. 

But not only have sects multiplied beyond all 
former example, in consequence of this Protestant 
preference of tradition to the Bible. Other evil 
results are obvious ; two of which may be briefly 
stated. For instance, sectarianism has disabled and 
endangered the whole cause of Protestant and evan- 
gelical Christianity, within the limits of Christendom 
itself "What insulting and menacing attitudes are 
assumed, in opposition to the religion of the 
Bible, by Romanism and its allies, on the one 
hand, and by infidelity, socialism, fanaticism, 
sensualism, and all manner of charlatanism, on 
the other ! Would this state of things continue, 
if the professed friends of the Bible were all 
united on the basis of the Bible alone, and all 
devoted to the promotion of the purposes of the 
Bible alone? Nay, verily, on every hand, these 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 155 

haughty antagonists would cower in the glance 
of truth, and shrink from the sword of the Spirit. 
The Lord would consume them by the breath of his 
mouth, and destroy them by the brightness of his com- 
ing. This gracious result is now kept in abeyance 
by the idolatry of tradition. The Lord will never 
give his glory to idols. "When Bible Christians 
become willing to trust the Bible alone, then, and 
not till then, we shall cease to hear so many 
lamentations from abroad, and Romanist prelates 
at home will forbear to lecture on "The Decline 
of Protestantism.' ' 

In like manner, as the other evil result alluded 
to, sectarianism has perplexed and hindered the pro- 
gress of Protestant and evangelical Christianity beyond 
the limits of Christendom. It exhausts nearly all its 
ministerial and pecuniary resources in maintain- 
ing its own interests within its own limits ; and 
the little that it spares for the conversion of the 
world is expended in diffusing among the heathen 
the same diversities which we so much deplore 
among ourselves. My brethren, I may mistake 
error for truth in these connections; but, whether 
I mistake or not, I must be honest to my convic- 
tions. They have not resulted from narrow and 
hasty researches. I must say, therefore, that, in 
my judgment, the world will never be converted 

U* 



156 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

in this way ! Never ! Still, I would not withhold 
my hand from helping. According to my ability 
and opportunity, I would aid every sect and 
society on earth sincerely and earnestly engaged 
in the great work. But I verily believe that the 
Bible Society deserves more aid than all the tra- 
ditional institutions put together. And, if there 
were a Missionary Society corresponding with it, 
sending forth true ministers of Christ to use the 
Bible alone, without note or comment, as their 
only rule of faith and practice, the only authority 
to be urged upon mankind, the only sensible, in- 
fallible, and divine authority on earth, — the one 
which God himself has magnified above all his 
name, and which therefore we are bound to 
magnify infinitely above all our poor, little, in- 
significant names, — then I at least would be con- 
tent that the Bible Society and this Missionary 
Society should share the wealth, and the worth, 
and the prayers of the world between them. 
Twenty years! Why was not the whole world 
supplied with Bibles during the twenty years? 
Because sectarianism hindered. And why may 
not the whole world be supplied within the next 
twenty years ? Because sectarianism still hinders. 
Let Christianity supersede sectarianism, and there 
will be a shower of the stars of inspiration all 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 157 

over the globe equal to the fall of the meteors in 
1833, and every one of them shall touch the land- 
scape, and abide, and burn, and blaze, until all 
the dark places of the earth shall shine like the 
streets and glitter like the palaces of the New 
Jerusalem. But, as things now are, we can only 
say, the cause is perplexed and hindered ; and we 
must wait in patience and hope for better times. 

Oh, if the Greek Church would give up tradi- 
tion for the Bible, — if the Roman Church would 
give up tradition for the Bible, — if the Protestant 
State Churches would give up tradition for the 
Bible, — how the whole world might rejoice ! Not 
against the persons of patriarchs, popes, or metro- 
politans, archbishops, bishops, or priests, or of 
any of the emperors, kings, princes, nobles, and 
magistrates connected with them,— much less of 
the oppressed people subject to them,— can there 
be any humane or Christian objection. Nothing 
is objectionable among them but the traditions 
that oppose the Bible, and, by so doing, corrupt 
the high, desolate the low, and retard the king- 
dom of God. Away with tradition, and the Bible 
brotherhood will fill the earth. 

But, if those old parties are too rigid to be 
reformed, at any rate, let the Dissenting Pro- 



158 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

testants of Europe and the Independent Protest- 
ants of America give up their traditions for 
the Bible. Or, if even this be too much to 
ask at present, — if our transatlantic brethren are 
yet too much enthralled for such a movement, — 
still, at least, let the free Christians of our own 
glorious land unite in setting the high and holy 
example. Oh, if this alone could be accom- 
plished, we might be content to ask no more. 
If this alone could be accomplished, all else 
that is desirable would surely and speedily suc- 
ceed. And may not our countrymen be per- 
suaded to this desistance? Why persist in op- 
posing the Bible? "Were these "new heavens" 
and this "new earth" intended to be ruled by 
tradition, or by the Bible ? Were they intended 
for the heritage of sectarians, or of Christians? 
— of a thousand parties in conflict they know 
not why, or of one peaceful and enterprising 
fraternity, enlightening and renovating the world? 
What drove our fathers hither? Was it not tra- 
dition ? What brought them hither ? Was it not 
the Bible ? To what are their errors chargeable, 
and the errors of their descendants? Is it not 
tradition? And to what are their virtues to be 
ascribed, and the virtues of their descendants? 
Is it not the Bible? Surely, of all lands, this 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 159 

ought to be, pre-eminently, the land of the 
Bible. And yet we have more traditions, and 
more sects, in this country, than can be found 
in any other! We have imported the old ones 
from nearly all nations, and have manufactured, 
and are still manufacturing, many new ones. True, 
it is not to be wondered at that old ones should 
come from abroad; but it is a reproach to our 
intelligence and moral sense, a dishonor to our 
liberty and dignity, to fabricate new ones here. 
We ought to be prepared to welcome all immi- 
grants to the religion of the Bible alone, and to 
make them instantly one with us in freedom from 
all traditions. It is our glory that we are free ; 
but, we should use our liberty as not abusing it. 
We are just as much at liberty to lay aside false 
authority as we are to cherish it ; and we ought 
to lay it aside. We are just as much at liberty 
to reject tradition as we are to retain it; and we 
ought to reject it. We are just as much at liberty 
to choose the Bible alone as our bond of union, 
and instrument of government, as we are to 
connect any other bond or instrument with it; 
and we ought to choose the Bible alone. 

I rejoice that a good work, of this kind, is 
already in progress in our country. Indeed, the 
supremacy of the Bible is the doctrine, though 



160 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

not the practice, of all the Protestants among us, 
— that is, of the greater mass of our population. 
Some of them, it is true, fall far short of the 
practical requirements of this doctrine. Others 
come nearer, but still fail to fulfil them. A few 
sects come very near, — failing, perhaps, only in 
one point; as where, for instance, immersion is 
made a term of membership. One of these 
parties professes to adopt the principles of the 
Bible and private judgment fully, boasts of 
them, ancl opposes sectarianism on the ground 
of them, — without apparently being aware that 
it is itself involved in the same evil, through the 
suppression of private judgment by Church 
authority in that imposition of immersion. It 
is marvellous how tenacious and exclusive this 
particular tradition is ! If it were not for this, 
I suppose all the immersionists in the world 
would immediately take their stand on the 
ground of the Bible alone. As it is, in addition 
to the maintenance of close-communion Churches, 
— they are now actually engaged, in part at least, 
in the promotion of a sort of close-communion 
iBible-Society, — so threatening some serious con- 
fusion, both at home and abroad, even in this 
most catholic department of Christian enterprise. 
But, besides all the parties so nearly on the 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 161 

right platform, and which, might so easily step 
upon it, there are quite a number of Churches 
in our country — and they are likely to multiply 
hereafter with much greater rapidity than they 
have done heretofore — which do, literally and 
strictly, humbly but boldly, quietly but success- 
fully, reject the false authority of tradition in 
whole, and are governed entirely by the true 
authority of the Bible alone. This is one of 
them. True, it has been recently divided; but 
it was not the Bible that occasioned the division. 
It was tradition. The Bible, on the contrary, 
saved it; and now nothing is necessary to its 
continued and enlarged prosperity but honest 
and earnest obedience to the Bible. The God 
who gave the rock on which to build it and 
gave the man by whom it was built, if it still 
be kept free from idols, will, in time to come, as 
He did in time past, hallow it as His own temple, 
and cause its Avails to glow with His glory, and 
its roof to reverberate with His praise.* 

These Bible Churches are at the true starting- 

* The Church here alluded to is the independent " Associate 
Reformed Presbyterian Church" of Baltimore, Md., — better known 
in connection with the name of the late Rev. Dr. John M. Duncan, 
a faithful pastor, whose cenotaph most aptly describes him as 
" An eloquent man, and mighty in the Scrip tures." 



162 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

point. What an immensity of traditions the 
Christian world generally must clear out of the 
way in order to assume the same position ! Still, 
this difficulty is not so great as it seems. Let 
them drop, and they are gone. As it regards 
new churches, there is no difficulty. Here are 
God's book, God's preacher, and God's people. 
Is any thing else wanting? Nothing under 
heaven, but God's blessing. And will this be 
withheld? Never, — if only His people and 
preacher prove faithful to His book. 

But, besides internal faithfulness, every Bible 
Church is bound to take part, according to the 
calls of Providence, in the salvation of the world. 
Every Bible Church must remember that its posi- 
tion is only a starting-point, and so contemplate 
progress. Other Bible Churches must be raised 
up, to sympathize with each other and encou- 
rage each other, and in every way establish and 
extend the work. And let me say, as the result 
of no careless contemplation, that this time at 
least appears to be the " accepted time," and this 
country the accepted country, for the accomplish- 
ment of this purpose. 

"Behold!" cries one, "the provision for a new 
sect!" "God forbid!" is our instant and reve- 
rent reply. This objection, however, is so often 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 163 

heard, and does so much harm, that I will state 
the distinction which utterly destroys it. What 
is a Christian sect ? It is a section of professed 
Christians distinguished by holding the authority 
of both the Bible and tradition. But what is a 
Christian Church ? It is a congregation of Chris- 
tians distinguished by holding the authority of 
the Bible alone, without tradition. Can any 
distinction be more strongly marked? Surely 
not. It is an impossibility, therefore, to form a 
new sect by multiplying Bible Churches. If the 
whole world were filled with Bible Churches, 
the effect would be the annihilation of all the 
sects in existence. Let no timid member of a 
Bible Church, therefore, be alarmed by this stale 
and worthless objection. It is a shame and a 
grief that the wheels of the gospel chariot have 
been delayed so long by such a pitiful clog. 

In conclusion, I cannot but hope that a fairer 
vision than ever yet has charmed the eyes of 
men has been reserved, in the wisdom and good- 
ness of God, to illustrate our beloved Union! 
Union! That is the watchword! Thank God 
for its meaning, its music, and its power! 
Union! — civil and religious! — the oneness of 
humanity, and the oneness of Christianity! A 

15 



164 THE BIBLE OPPOSED : 

religion worthy of our liberty! — a religion that 
may be as much a light to the Churches of the 
world as our liberty is to the States of the world ! 
If Canadians, Mexicans, and South Americans, 
if Irishmen, Englishmen, Welshmen, and Scotch- 
men, if Swedes, Danes, and Norwegians, if Por- 
tuguese, Spaniards, and Frenchmen, if Belgians, 
Hollanders, and Germans, if Swiss, Italians, 
Poles, Hungarians, Russians, and Greeks, if even 
Turks, and Arabs, and Persians, and Hindoos, 
and Siamese, and Chinese, and Australians, and 
Polynesians, — if, in a word, all the varieties of 
humanity — except the poor Africans, and even 
some of them in some of our States — may be 
here assembled, and made, to all intents and pur- 
poses, civilly one,- — then, I ask, may not even 
Greek Catholics, if they should come among us, 
and Eoman Catholics, here at least if nowhere 
else, and Protestants from all the State Establish- 
ments, and Dissenting Protestants of all classes, 
and our own Independent Protestants of all 
parties, — in a word, may not all the varieties of 
Christianity be made ecclesiastically one ? If all 
the obstructions of distance, danger, poverty, 
language, habit, manners, and social customs, 
have been overcome in the civil union, may not 
the single obstruction of tradition be overcome 



ECCLESIASTICAL OPPOSITION. 165 

for the accomplishment of the ecclesiastical 
union, — a simple Christian union, — a Holy Bible 
union ? Here we are, by the good providence of 
God, one mighty brotherhood, gathered from all 
nations. Here we are, with the grandest seas of 
the globe tossing all their billows between our 
happy shores and the haughty tyrannies of the 
Old World. Here we are, as citizens, already 
one. Why not also be one as Christians ? Have 
we not already thrown off a thousand political 
traditions ? And are we not equally at liberty to 
throw off all sectarian traditions? Then let us 
use our liberty. Away with the false authority 
of all divisive traditions ! Away with this eccle- 
siastical opposition to the Bible ! The Bible be- 
longs to all ! The Bible is acknowledged by all ! 
Let the Bible be obeyed, and it will unite all ! If, 
however, in this as in the former case, it shall 
seem that there must be some exceptions, let us 
pity and pray for them. But let all who can 
come make haste to come. Let the union be 
consummated ! The tidings of it will electrify 
the world ! Popery, like Lucifer, having ascended 
to the highest heaven in all the pride of the Son of 
the Morning, shall suddenly drop into the deepest 
depth of mockery and scorn ! Infidelity, like 
Satan, having covered itself with a cloud and 



166 THE BIBLE OPPOSED. 

slowly exalted its front against the throne of God, 
shall fall again like lightning to the marsh from 
which it rose! Paganism, like Mania, worship- 
ping it knows not what, shall be startled by the 
quickening voice of truth, and, clasping her brow 
at the thrill of returning reason, shall stand before 
the Highest, illumined, enraptured, and restored! 
Judaism, weeping by the Temple-wall, shall hear 
strange news from the land where her children 
have never found cause to weep, and confess that 
Jesus is indeed the Christ ! A second and more 
sacred national flag shall attend the first in all its 
flights from pole to pole, — a flag flashing with the 
stars of prophets and apostles, and glowing with 
the stripes of the Savior's painful but blessed 
and beckoning atonement ; and the United States 
of America, and the United Churches of America, 
magnifying the Bible and the God of the Bible, 
and magnified in turn by the benediction of 
both, shall become and remain "the joy and the 
praise of the whole earth." 



SERMON YIIL 



THE BIBLE OPPOSED -H. CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 



" Thou hast magnified thy word above all iJiy name." 
Ps. cxxxviii. 2. 

In the preceding discourse we entered upon 
the subject of Opposition to the Bible, — con- 
fining our attention then to the one form of 
Ecclesiastical Opposition. On the present occa- 
sion I design to notice two of the three remain- 
ing forms of it, — the Civil and Social. It is not 
necessary, in either of these connections, to be 
very elaborate. A brief statement will suffice for 
each ; and so, without inconvenience, we may 
pass through all. 

Civil opposition to the Bible, as previously 
represented, is generally, if not always, occasioned 
by ecclesiastical opposition.' The priest deceives 

15* 167 



168 THE BIBLE OPE£$£DC 

the king, and the State becomes the dupe of 
the Church. "The Church is in danger!" is the 
cry of the crafty prelate; "and, if the Church 
fall, the State will fall. Let the State, therefore, 
if only to save itself, hasten to the rescue of the 
Church." This is the substance of the significant 
sentence already cited from the Encyclical Letter 
of Leo XII. : — " The power of temporal princes 
will, we trust in the Lord, come to your assistance, 
whose interest, as reason and experience show, is 
concerned when the authority of the Church is 
questioned," &c. 

Now, there is a certain sense in which this 
statement is true. Reason and experience do 
show that the interest of princes who are like the 
prelates, of States which are like the Church, — Le. 
of civil usurpers and tyrants corresponding with 
the ecclesiastical usurpers and tyrants, — "is con- 
cerned when the authority of the Church is 
questioned." And just so it might be said, with 
equal truth, that the interest of the Church is con- 
cerned, as reason and experience show, when the 
authority of such States is questioned. The simple 
fact is, both authorities are false authorities ; and 
it becomes them to sustain each other. The 
people whom they have so long degraded and 
oppressed are likely now to call them both into 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 169 

judgment and doom them to perdition. In this 
sense their interest is indeed one. 

But, in regard to any justly-constituted and 
justly-administered civil government, it is not true 
that its interest is concerned when the authority 
of the Church is questioned, — i.e. the authority 
of the Papal or any other ecclesiastical despotism. 
Rather, it is the interest of such a government to 
have the authority of the Church questioned, or 
to question it for itself. It is its interest to dis- 
prove and put down this authority. Reason 
shows this ; for the Papal theory is, that the State 
is subject to the Church. Experience also shows 
it ; for the Papal practice has been, according to 
its ability and opportunity, to trample upon the 
rights of the State. Moreover, it is a plain matter 
of fact that Protestant States — the very States 
wmch do question and reject the authority of the 
Church — are at this moment the best-established 
and most prosperous States in the world. 

Even Protestant States, however, generally 
speaking, are not so well established and prosper- 
ous as they might be if they held and acted 
upon the true Church and State theory. See ! 
there are three of these theories : first, the Roman 
Catholic theory, — that the State is subject to the 
Church ; secondly, the Protestant National theory, 



170 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

— that the Church is subject to the State; and, 
thirdly, the Bible theory, — that neither is the State 
subject to the Church, nor the Church to the 
State, Church and State being separate from each 
other and independent of each other. The great 
practical exemplification of this Christian theory 
is found in our own happy and beloved country. 

The condition of other countries — except in so far 
as the influence of the Bible theory is now extend- 
ing among them and modifying their estate — may 
be represented, in a summary way, as follows : — 

1. The Voice of the State to the Church : — No 
Church, no State ! 

2. The Voice of the Church to the State :—No 
State, no Church ! 

8. The Voice of the King to the Bishop : — No 
Bishop, no King I 

4. The Voice of the Bishop to the King : — No 
King, no Bishop ! 

5. The Voice of the King to the People : — No 
Bishop, no Church! 

6. The Voice of the Bishop to the People : — 
No King, no State ! 

7. The Voice of the People to the King and 
Bishop : — All hail, King and Bishop ! 

8. The Voice of the King and Bishop to the 
People : — All hail } Subjects and Laics ! 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 171 

9. The Voice of the People again : — Long live 
the King ! Long live the Bishop ! 

10. The Voice of King and Bishop again: — 
Receive our Royal and Apostolic Benediction I 

11. The Voice of the Bishop to the King : — All 
right, your Majesty ! 

12. The Voice of the King to the Bishop: — 
Venerable Father in God, All right ! 

And so the king and bishop return to their 
palaces, and the people to their fields and facto- 
ries and mines, their stores and shops and ships. 

Not so in onr country. Here Church and 
State are separate, and mutually independent. 
Here the Bible alone is supreme. Here the 
people, under the authority of the Bible, establish 
free States and free Churches to suit themselves. 
These States and Churches are not yet indeed 
entirely conformed to the excellency of the Bible 
models, and, therefore, need further changes and 
improvements. The people, however, have no 
reason to fear the Bible on this account, but 
rather to honor and obey it; for, just as they suc- 
ceed in meeting the requirements of the Bible, so 
will they progress toward the perfection of civil 
and religious liberty. The Bible here, instead 
of being an apparition of terror, is the angel 
of all grace, — the divinely-magnified symbol 



172 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

of all greatness and goodness, all majesty and 
power. 

"Whatever civil opposition to the Bible is mani- 
fested in any country may, therefore, be regarded 
as consequent on the unjust organization of the 
State, or its oppressive administration, or its 
unholy alliance with some form of ecclesiastical 
apostasy, corruption, exclusion, and extortion. It 
is not the interest of any State that ought to flourish 
— any more than it is of any Church that ought to 
flourish — to oppose the Bible. On the contrary, 
the Bible embodies in itself all the interests of 
mankind. 

As a matter of fact, civil opposition to the circu- 
lation of the Bible exists only in States under the 
influence of the Roman and Greek Churches, — as 
was shown on a previous occasion. Protestant 
States are all open to this good work. In regard 
to the application of the Bible, however, to both 
State and Church affairs, there is some Protestant 
obstruction, as might be expected. For instance, 
in England, the friends of the voluntary system 
urge the Bible theory of the separateness of Church 
and State against the established union of Church 
and State. On the other side, the friends of the 
union resist the influence of this Bible theory 
to the utmost. Some of them have even pro- 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 173 

posed reunion with Kome, if necessary, in order 
to guard against it. But it must be remembered, 
in this and in all similar instances, that the con- 
troversy is a free one. So far it is worthy of 
Protestantism. The State does not authorita- 
tively interfere with it to foreclose or suppress it. 
It is going on, and will go on ; and, as soon as the 
Bible theory shall obtain its proper hold on the 
convictions and consciences of the people, it will 
accomplish its recognition and acknowledgement 
by the State. 

So in our own country. The application of 
the Higher Law — as the law of the Bible is 
styled — to the correction of certain legislative and 
social evils among us has been very strenuously 
resisted in some quarters. But here, again, the 
controversy is a free one ; and no person can 
reasonably doubt its result in so far as the 
authority of the Bible is concerned. Only let the 
true meaning of the Bible, in this relation, be 
fairly and fully made out ; only let' the practical 
requirements of the Bible be clearly and surely 
demonstrated ; and the Bible must triumph. Let 
the question be simply, The Bible, or Social 
Customs? — The Bible, or State Laws? — The 
Bible, or Congressional Laws? — The Bible, or 
State Constitutions ? — The Bible, or the Consti- 



174 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

tution of the United States ? — and it will soon be 
seen, I am profoundly persuaded, that the Bible 
is indeed the Higher Law, — higher than all cus- 
toms, statutes, and constitutions in our land, put 
together ! It is not the authority of the Bible that is 
questioned by the American people in general. 
This is admitted as supreme, universal, and eternal. 
The interpretation and application of it are the 
grounds of disagreement. With us, not even the 
voice of the people, but the voice of the Bible, is the 
voice of God ! 

Social opposition to the Bible opens a wide field. 
Its main points, however, may be indicated by a 
few words in relation to each of them. 

Social opposition — at least, generally speaking — 
is not occasioned by ecclesiastical opposition. It is 
independent of the Church. It is independent 
of the State. In some instances, it abhors the 
Church as much as it does the Bible, and abhors 
the State as much as it does the Bible. Nay, in 
some instances, it identifies the Bible with the 
Church and the Church with the State, and 
hates and opposes the Bible chiefly or only be- 
cause it supposes the Bible to be the support of 
the Church and the State. This identification of 
the Bible with apostate Churches and oppressive 
States is the greatest mistake that social reformers 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 175 

or revolutionists have ever made. In this mistake 
is the secret and solution of many of their failures, — 
indeed, of all their failures, when they have at- 
tempted any thing really good. It has turned 
their forces aside from civil and ecclesiastical 
tyranny — which, as a matter of human origin and 
merely human resources, they might have over- 
come — to battle against the impenetrable bulwarks 
and irresistible thunders of eternal Omnipotence. 
I can easily imagine that the popular conspirators, 
the indignant insurrectionists, of any country de- 
solated by regal and sacerdotal imposition and 
misrule, should succeed in scattering princes 
and prelates to the end of the earth, in pounding 
to powder their ancient and illustrious altars and 
thrones, in turning their palaces and temples into 
hospitals and asylums, their parks and gardens 
into paradises for the poor, — in a word, in 
changing, at once and forever, any and every 
thing of man*s making alone; but, when they 
assail the Bible, I can no more expect them to be 
successful than I could if they were to shake 
their swords, and point their bayoht/ts, and fire 
their cannons, and fling their bombs, at the 
seraphim of the tempest, or the higher, serene, 
and untroubled beauty of the angel of the sun. 
This social opposition is embodied in certain 

16 



176 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

schools or classes, certain confederative or inde- 
pendent, open or secret, institutions or fra- 
ternities, — various formal or informal groupings, 
occasioned by special sympathetic affinities. It 
involves speculative philosophy, natural science, 
natural theology, Biblical criticism, popular litera- 
ture, business pursuits, benevolent associations, 
semi-benevolent associations, public amusements, 
fashionable religion, &c. 

Speculative philosophy, to a great extent and 
in various ways, opposes the Bible. Indeed, the 
very notion of it and name of it, occurring in 
the presence of the Bible, seem to intimate some- 
what of insult and hostility. True, there may be 
speculation merely as additional to revelation, or 
even in defence or support of revelation ; but the 
history of speculative philosophy, within the limits 
of Bible-distribution, is rather a history of oppo- 
sition. It is speculation against revelation ! It 
generally presumes, in the beginning of its re- 
searches, to ignore the existence of the Bible, and 
seldom recurs to it, except, perhaps, to exercise 
a kind of condescending patronage, by showing 
how wonderfully some "inspiration of the Al- 
mighty" coincides with the more infallible de- 
ductions, the transcendental ascertainments, of its 
own theoretical or practical reason, or else to 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 177 

sneer at it for the ineffable folly of some appre- 
hended ground of difference. It is difficult to 
imagine any form of opposition so proud, so au- 
dacious, so offensive to Heaven, as this. It starts 
from skepticism and returns to skepticism. The 
Bible assumes the existence of God ; but specu- 
lative philosophy disdains such an assumption. 
The Bible acknowledges, without dispute, the 
existence and immortality of the human soul ; but 
speculative philosophy scorns such an easy ac- 
knowledgment. The Bible concedes, without 
thought of questioning it, the existence of the 
earth, and of sun, moon, and stars, — or the whole 
material universe ; but speculative philosophy is 
not to be duped into any such concession. Nay, 
verily, this philosophy must hold God, man, and 
the universe all in doubt until it shall find time 
and reason to determine whether to let them 
exist or not. In some cases, by one of. its faculties, 
and for its own peerless honor, it deliberately 
undertakes to annihilate the Deity, and then, by 
another faculty, in pity for the unphilosophical 
mass of mankind, it re-creates and re-enthrones 
Him. In some cases, it decides that man has no 
soul; in others, that he has no body; and in 
others, that it makes no difference whether he has 
either, or both, or neither, inasmuch as there is 



178 -THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

no world for him to inhabit and no God for him 
to love, serve, or adore. I know not how many 
thousands of pages of this boasted but empty 
wisdom I have taken pains to read, with the 
closest attention, in hope of some ultimate good ; 
but this I do know, — that a large part of it, as it 
now exists, is utterly subversive of the claims of 
the Bible as God's own magnified word. 

Natural science also, though scarcely to so 
great an extent, and certainly with much less 
impudence and much more evidence, takes part 
in this general opposition to the Bible. Natural 
science is more worthy of respect than specu- 
lative philosophy. Philosophy is attractive to the 
pride of the intellect. Its lofty abstractions, its 
subtile discriminations, its comprehensive generali- 
zations, and its pretentious phraseology, promise 
such sublimity and delicacy and masterly sweep 
of thought, that a sharp and earnest spirit can 
hardly resist the temptation to engage in its 
culture. But science is more soberly inviting. 
It appeals to one's love of fact and truth and 
law. It challenges observation and reflection, and 
prompts invention and discovery, by the sub- 
mission of material elements and powers, combina- 
tions, processes, and results, actual, obvious, pal- 
pable, apparently demonstrable and indisputable. 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 179 

It gives a more practical character to the mind, 
and, so, to the life* It is incomparably more 
satisfactory, — especially in its present positive and 
seemingly reliable developments. 

I need not name its vast variety of subordinate 
departments. The three great ranges of it, which 
include all its interests, are anthropology, geo- 
logy, and astronomy, — or the science of man, of 
the earth, and of the universe. 

As it respects anthropology, I allude chiefly to 
such results of it as are employed in sustaining 
the notion of the mere materialism of our nature. 
With the denial of a spirit in man, the doctrines 
of immortality, responsibility, and retribution all 
pass away. Sin has no existence ; death, of 
course, is not the consequence of sin ; our acci- 
dental physical organization is the whole of our 
being, and this being acts by some inexplicable 
and uncontrollable necessity, and expires utterly 
with the dissolution of the organism itself. That 
all this tends to make the Bible a fable is too 
plain for remark. 

As it regards geology, I allude to similar but 
more numerous and various results. It is surprising 
how many anti-Biblical statements maybe collected 
here. Let me sketch the consecutive errors : — No 
God; no Father, Son, or Spirit; no spirit of any 

16* 



180 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

kind; no creation; no providence; no sin; no fall; 
no redemption; no miracle; no history; no prophecy; 
no revelation ; no moral agency or purpose in 
natural changes ; nothing of higher promise than 
some supposed law of progress, by which, from the 
rudest beginnings, all things have been brought 
to their present condition, and in virtue of which 
also they are all supposed to tend toward final 
perfection in the far-off future. Even Christian 
geologists, it appears to me, have been greatly 
too much in haste to concede to their new and 
favorite science unwarranted advantages over the 
Bible. For instance, one of the most eminent of 
these — a gentleman of learning, station, and in- 
fluence — abandons the time of creation as ordi- 
narily computed, and accepts millions of years or 
ages for the existence of our planet, instead of 
some five or six thousand years. In like manner 
he abandons the notion of an aqueous chaos, 
abandons the creation of sun and moon on the 
fourth day of the week, abandons the notion that 
the animals were all created at any one centre or 
in pairs, abandons the notion that death is the 
effect of sin, and abandons also the notion that 
the Deluge was universal, — confining this catas- 
trophe, as he had previously restricted the Adamic 
creation, to the vicinity of the Caspian Sea. Now, 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 181 

it may be very properly admitted that the Biblical 
text in all these connections is capable of mis- 
construction ; that it is possible it has been mis- 
construed ; that the popular understanding of it 
is perhaps a misunderstanding ; and that it may 
be a part of the providential mission of science 
to correct such errors and illustrate the true 
meaning of the record. But the admission of 
these possibilities is not a sufficient apology for 
hasty concessions to the claims of the new science, 
or hasty reversals of old interpretations of the 
Scriptures. All haste is inappropriate here. The 
Bible has waited thousands of years, for correc- 
tion, and remains pretty much as it was at first : 
while thousands of its supposed corrections have 
become obsolete infatuations. Such, I have no 
doubt, will be the fate of many of what are now 
considered, by some, geological demonstrations — 
demonstrations contrary to the commonly-received 
understanding of the Bible. 

As it regards astronomy, I allude to the same 
class of results again. Indeed, anthropology, 
geology, and astronomy, thus considered, are only 
three forms of one great evil whose results are 
identical. That is, they are all forms of mate- 
rialism; and materialism, in its consummation, is 
the exclusion of all spiritualism, and, of course, 



182 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

of all moral government and of all immortal 
retribution. Nothing but matter, on this theory, 
exists; and therefore the assumptions of the 
Bible, from its first chapter to its last, of a Spirit- 
God, and spirit-angels, and spirit-saints, and a 
spirit-world, sinless, deathless, and happy, — all 
these assumptions are mere assumptions, without 
any substantial realizations. No wonder, there- 
fore, that it should be said, by one of the princes 
of astronomy, that, according to the progress of 
discovery, the doctrine of final causes is pushed 
farther and farther away, even to the boundaries 
of knowledge ; for, if there be no first cause, and 
that cause an intelligent spirit, there can, of 
course, be no final cause, no design, no adapta- 
tion, in any thing. The universe, thus contem- 
plated, becomes an infinitude of chances, to which 
the Bible has no application. 

I am aware, indeed, that the whole range of 
natural science has been greatly affected by the 
progress of Christianity. In fact, science has be- 
come tributary to Christianity in no small degree, 
and often supplies many beautiful and impressive 
exemplifications of revealed truth. It may still 
be affirmed, I presume, that the greatest names 
in science are Christian names. "Even the 
scientific speculations which are hostile to Scrip- 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 183 

ture 3 " in the language of a recent reviewer of the 
last half-century, "are seldom presented as such." 
But, after all such grateful acknowledgments, it 
still remains a sad truth — at least, in my humble 
judgment — that Christians, in many instances, 
for the sake of securing an apparent harmony of 
science and revelation, have made concessions to 
science which are exceedingly injurious to the 
Scriptures, and, by so doing, have encouraged 
the covert hostility of the prudent class of infidels 
just alluded to, and made still more violent the 
open opposition of those who boast that science 
is absolutely destructive of the Bible and of all 
its spiritual powers and destinies. 

Natural Theology it may seem strange to men- 
tion in connection with opposition to the Bible. 
Still, there is reason for it on one account, — if not 
more. Revealed religion, it may be said, rests 
upon natural religion. For instance, the Bible 
rightly assumes the existence of God; because 
nature previously demonstrates the existence of 
God. Now, I acknowledge the demonstration of 
the divine existence by the natural world ; but it 
seems to me that a book may demonstrate this as 
well as a ivorld, and that the Bible does demon- 
strate it, and therefore is not quite so dependent 
on nature, even in this relation, as is generally ■ 



184 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

supposed. But, the chief point to which I here 
refer is this : natural theologians have conceded 
too much to natural instruction in relation to the 
moral character of God. They have agreed that 
nature illustrates the goodness of God as well as 
His intelligence and power. They have allowed 
infidels to descant, without check, on the moral 
perfections of the Deity, as though they had really 
collected the proofs of these perfections from 
material contemplations. Now, all this seems to 
me just so much in opposition to the Bible. Na- 
ture, in its present condition, is a revelation of 
wrath. Every man is an eye-witness of this fact. 
I do not mean, of course, that there is nothing 
but wrath revealed. The relics of original good- 
ness are all around us ; but w r rath has come down 
upon the whole scene of peace and filled it with 
desolation. All the evils in the world are forms 
of wrath. The proper logical deduction from 
this fact would be, were there no additional in- 
telligence to prevent it, that God Himself is a 
Being of wrath. It would be impossible, under 
such circumstances, to make out His moral per- 
fections. This I insist upon as the true Bible 
view of the subject. "For we are consumed by 
thine anger," says the Psalmist, "and by thy 
wrath are we troubled." "All our days are passed 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 185 

away in thy wrath: we spend our years ats a tale 
that is told." Therefore the Bible was given to 
correct the current indications of nature ; to assure 
mankind of the essential goodness of God, as it 
was manifested, without any sign of wrath, before 
sin entered the world, and is now manifested in 
the world where there is no sin, and will here- 
after be manifested again in our own world when 
sin shall be destroyed. Therefore nature and re- 
velation — wrath and mercy — are so strongly con- 
trasted in the Scriptures. "For the wrath, of. 
God" says St. Paul, "is revealed from heaven 
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of 
men;" but, in regard to the gospel, he declares 
that he is not ashamed of this, — " for it is the 
power of God unto salvation)" i.e. the same power, 
but manifested in mercy instead of wrath. In a 
word, the natural attributes of the Deity, as their 
title implies, are revealed by nature; but His 
moral attributes are not so revealed. It is not 
upon sky or landscape that we read the inscrip- 
tion, " The Lord is good to all, and His tender 
mercies are over all His works." It is not upon 
the morning or the evening star, upon the moon, 
or even upon the golden globe of the sun, that 
we find the infinitely more glorious words, "God 
is love !" No, no ! these are Bible disclosures, and 



186 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

it is by such disclosures that God has magnified 
His word above all His name. Deists, in my 
judgment, have no right to avail themselves of 
these representations of the Deity in their opposi- 
tion to the Bible ; and Christians make a sad 
mistake in encouraging them to do so by their 
improper and undiscriminatirig concessions. If 
Deists will reject the Bible, let them content 
themselves with the God of Nature apart from 
the corrections of the Bible. Their God is not 
our God ! Their God is the God of wrath, the 
Creator, and yet the Punisher, of a miserable 
and helpless race of sinners, an almighty Tyrant 
over endless fugitive generations of His own 
sighing and dying offspring. Our God is the 
God of mercy, — just, indeed, and therefore in- 
capable of clearing the guilty as though they 
were not guilty, but, at the same time, as He 
declared to Moses, and, through him, to Israel 
and the world, He is "merciful and gracious, 
long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, 
keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, 
and transgression, and sin. ,, 

Other points might be noticed in this connec- 
tion, showing that natural theologians, in their 
zeal for a favorite system, have frequently placed 
themselves in a false position in relation to the 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 187 

Bible, and aided rather than checked the efforts 
of its opponents. It is requisite, however, not 
only to omit these, but to hasten, with still greater 
brevity, through the topics yet in w r aiting. 

Biblical Criticism it may seem still more strange 
to introduce so formally in connection with oppo- 
sition to the Bible. I allude to it, of course, 
merely as the instrument of degenerate and 
apostate professors, previously corrupt in morals 
and therefore ultimately so degraded, impaired 
and perverted in intellect. The principal historic 
reference is to the neologists, rationalists, and 
accommodationists of Germany, and their sym- 
pathizers and imitators in other countries. These 
are the agents who have wrought most of the 
disasters to Protestantism on the Continent of 
Europe, and whose influence has been most 
threatening, according to the extent of its diffu- 
sion, in Great Britain and in some sections of our 
own land. Nothing contrary to reason is the ap- 
parently reasonable principle on which they pro- 
ceed ; forgetting, if I may so speak, that the reason 
needs to be converted as much as any faculty of 
our nature — needs to be renewed, to be enlightened, 
and to be sanctified, that it may rightly fulfil its 
office in the study, appreciation, and improvement 
of revelation. Revelation is often above reason, 

17 



188 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

but never contrary to right reason. It invites 
reason to soar into the empyrean, to contemplate 
a wider scope than it ever thought of before, to 
understand higher, holier, happier, mightier, and 
more permanent relations than nature alone ever 
presented. In all this, right reason may find a 
divine harmony that will not only satisfy but charm 
and delight it forever. The rationalist, however, 
comes to the Bible in his natural condition, with 
all his selfishness, sensuality, corruption, and con- 
sequent skepticism, and finds it, as might be ex- 
pected, full of repulsions. Miracles! — no such 
things ; miracles are impossible. Tricks may be 
played ; natural events may be mistaken for mira- 
cles : but, as to real miracles, there never were and 
never will be any. And yet, when the reason is 
illumined, there is no necessity in the universe 
more obvious and impressive than the necessity 
for miracles. There can be no redemption without 
miracles. The very notion of revelation implies 
a miracle. Repeated revelations are repeated 
miracles. A volume of revelations is a volume 
of miracles. Eevealed history is the history of 
miracles. Revealed prophecy is the prophecy of 
miracles. The resurrection of Christ was a mira- 
cle. The resurrection of our race will be a mira- 
cle. The re-creation of heaven and earth will be 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 189 

a miracle. There is no hope of personal or social 
perfection or immortality without miracles. All 
power in heaven and in earth is in the hands of 
our Savior on purpose to qualify him to redeem 
us by miracles. And yet, to get rid of miracles, 
the most absurd attempts at explanation that were 
ever known have been rationalistically applied t6 
the Scriptures ; and, where even such attempts 
could not be made successful, the books themselves, 
in whole or part, one or many, have been rashly 
and utterly rejected. What makes all this the 
more deeply and memorably mournful is the re- 
flection that it has occurred within the limits of 
the Church itself, and among those who ought 
to have been its exemplars, guardians, and guides. 
" Certainly,' ' it has been said, " no body of Chris- 
tian ministers, so large, so learned and influential, 
in any age or period of the Church, ever before 
fell" into such "a depth of falsehood and blas- 
phemy.' ' Another specially grievous fact in this 
connection is that, although this evil, by the grace 
of God, is at last declining in the country where 
it originated, it is nevertheless, by the malice of 
the devil, — like some fashion that has grown old 
in Paris and is now perhaps actually laughed at 
there, — spreading itself among our own people, 
and seeking to renew its horrors in this fairer field. 



190 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

From all such terrible importations there is abun- 
dant reason why we should earnestly pray, "Good 
Lord y deliver us !" 

But how shall I even intimate the remaining 
topics ? See ! Popular Literature ! What a world 
of opposition is here ! Books, reviews, maga- 
zines, pamphlets, newspapers, in every form, in 
every style, at every price, in endless succession, 
in boundless multiplication and circulation, in 
every house, along every thoroughfare, in all lan- 
guages and among all nations, — the most acces- 
sible, the most obtrusive, and perhaps the most 
influential and mischievous, instrumentalities* of 
iniquity now in action. Of all literary produc- 
tions, novels in particular, contrary to their name, 
are now the least novel ; and, among all the 
varieties of human character, perhaps there is 
not one which may not find a thousand tempt- 
ing fictions adapted to attract and corrupt it. 
Every appetite has its excitant, every passion its 
provocative, every vice its encouragement, and 
every crime its embellished example, its seductive 
apology, its sufficient sanction. " Satanic litera- 
ture' ' is the name very properly given to a vast 
mass of the issues of the press ; and satanic pur- 
poses, certainly, are promoted by it to an im- 
measurable extent. How this whole development 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 191 

operates against tlie study of the Bible and the 
performance of the duties it enjoins, I need not 
stop to describe. 

Again: Business Associations: — in regard to 
which I allude chiefly to two things, — the materiel 
of trade, and the manner of conducting it; or 
the too frequent want of conscience, first, in rela- 
tion to the personal or social influence of the pro- 
ducts or fabrics distributed in the community, 
and, secondly, in relation to the arts and terms of 
barter and sale. In too many instances the Bible 
is only a Sunday book, even among those who 
profess to regard it as the word of God, — a book 
in place, at home or in the sanctuary, on the one 
day of rest, but not applicable to the manage- 
ment and interests of the counting-room and ex- 
change during the six days of employment and 
of gain. All this is a sad obstruction to the pro- 
gress of pure moral principles. 

Again: Benevolent Associations. Even these, 
so far, by constraint of circumstances, if they do 
not hinder the good work to which they are de- 
voted, at least fall short of the requirements of 
the Bible. For instance, the Bible Society, the 
Tract Society, the Sunday-School Union, and 
similar institutions, are often successful, through 
their agents, by the grace of God, in the con- 

17* 



192 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

version of sinners. But they have no homes for 
their converts, no plan of Christian communion, 
no way, when they have persuaded men to become 
Christians, of keeping them Christians, no pas- 
torate, no ordinances, — in a word, no provision for 
the establishment of simple, unsectarian, Bible. 
Churches. On the contrary, their converts are 
discouraged from remaining Christians alone, and 
are distributed among the different sects accord- 
ing to their family or other affinities, and so 
become liable, at least, against their wish and will, 
to sink, little by little, from the great catholic 
position of mere disciples of Christ — one with 
all other disciples all the world over — into the 
divided partisans of all the numerous, various, and 
conflicting forms of false authority. The circum- 
stances which for the present constrain the socie- 
ties to this mode of action arise from their depend- 
ence upon denominational contributions. If they 
should attempt the organization of simple Bible 
Churches, doubtless they would speedily lose the 
patronage that now chiefly sustains them. Still, 
we may hope that they will prepare no small 
amount of material which others may employ in 
more liberal Christian associations. 

Again : Semi-Benevolent Associations. By this 
title I refer chiefly to the various popular socie- 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 193 

ties — some old, some new, all more or less secret — 
the most or all of which use the Bible in whole, 
the New Testament as well as the Old, as the sym- 
bol of their character and an ostensible bond of 
their union. The only apology for the existence 
of these societies, it seems to me, is the fact that 
the Bible in other connections, where it is right- 
fully expected to be fairly and fully honored and 
obeyed, has been allowed to lose its proper con- 
trol ; in consequence of which a sort of separation 
has occurred between natural and spiritual inte- 
rests, — the Church devoting itself chiefly to the 
spiritual, and leaving the natural, even in relation 
to its own members, to be provided for by worldly 
expedients or to perish in the want of them. 
Now, if the new societies, while they use the Bible, 
would also illustrate it by thorough fulfilment of its 
requirements, they would accomplish a mighty 
reformation. But, in my humble judgment, they 
treat the Bible — perhaps unintentionally, or, rather, 
without due consideration — with infinitely greater 
disrespect than do the Churches. That is, the Bible, 
pre-eminently, is the Book of Christ ! Old Testa- 
ment and New are alike Christ's Testaments ! 
Without Christ, the Bible is as utterly empty as 
would be the sky without air or the sun without 
light. Christ is the original of the Bible. The 



194 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

Bible is the manifestation of Christ, as Christ 
Himself is the manifestation of the Father. The 
Bible is the brightness of Christ's glory, and the 
express image of His person, just as He is of the 
glory and person of the Father. But these socie- 
ties, many or most, if not all of them, for the 
sake of including Jews, infidels, and others, omit 
Christ ! — omit His name from their forms and cere- 
monies ; omit it in their very prayers ; offer Jew- 
ish prayers, Deistical prayers, — any kind except 
Christian prayers. "Ask in my name,' 1 said Jesus ; 
and no Christian, without sin, can ask in any other 
way. But these Societies, in this respect, virtually 
deny Christ, — virtually say, "We will not ask in thy 
name ; which is equivalent to a rejection of His 
whole mediatorial character and office. True, I 
was informed, on a certain occasion, that one of 
these institutions allows its lodges to pray as they 
think right, — a very great improvement, and one 
which, it is to be hoped, will be imitated by others. 
This, however, is the only instance of the kind I 
have met; and it is very obvious that the general 
introduction of such a change would occasion 
quite a revolution in every Order referred to. At 
present, of necessity, they are without true life. 
Their sky has no air, their sun is without light. 
Again: Public Amusements. It is not neces- 



CIVIL AND SOCIAL OPPOSITION. 195 

sary to do more than make a passing allusion to 
these, as among the main sources of opposition to 
the Bible. It is unspeakably grievous to find 
that professors of Christianity, instead of holding 
themselves and their families more firmly and 
sacredly aloof from these reviving and multiply- 
ing treacheries, show, in many cases, a disposition 
rather to yield to their temptations and indulge 
in their pleasant wiles. Some years ago it ap- 
peared as though higher tastes and nobler princi- 
ples were gaining supremacy in society ; but now 
there are evidences all around us of some relapse, 
at least, toward the low and vile. 

Finally, it would be well, if it were practicable, 
to dwell somewhat at large on the opposition 
to the Bible arising from Fashionable Religion. 
Fashionable religion ! — not a holy religion ; not an 
intelligent religion ; not an experimental reli- 
gion; not a practical religion; not the religion 
of faith, hope, and love; not the religion of 
doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in right- 
eousness, personal perfection, and social good 
works ; not the religion of the Bible ; not the re- 
ligion of Christ : but, the religion of Fashion ! 
I mean the religion of Selfishness! — of personal 
selfishness and social selfishness ; the religion of 
opulent and exclusive selfishness ; the religion 



196 THE BIBLE OPPOSED. 

that delights in splendid church architecture, 
however ill adapted to gospel purposes ; that de- 
lights in splendid musical appointments, however 
costly, irreverent, or even profane; that delights 
in splendid oratory, however destitute of the pulse 
of spiritual life or the electric power of the Holy 
Ghost ; that delights in splendid drapery and array, 
dress and address, attendance and equipage, and 
is equally facile in honoring the distinguished, 
in contemning the obscure, and in watching the 
ranks of rivalry with prejudice, circumvention, 
and scorn. 

But — it must be so. The time is out. Let 
social oppositions pass. They are innumerable 
and indescribable. 



SERMON IX. 



THE BIBLE OPPOSED -HI. PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 



"Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name" 
Ps. cxxxviii. 2. 

None but a minister of the gospel can fully 
express the solicitudes of such a mission ; and it is 
not always wise for him to do it. On the present 
occasion, however, I trust that the following dis- 
crimination will be received as both prudent and 
appropriate. 

The Ministerial Charge reads thus : — " Go ye 
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every 
creature." The gospel, therefore, has two rela- 
tions : first, to the whole world ; and secondly, to 
every individual. Now, the minister may get so 
much into the habit of contemplating the vast 
range of social interests, as to become compara- 
tively negligent of personal interests ; or, on the 

197 



198 THE BIBLE OPPOSED I 

other hand, he may so exclusively devote himself 
to the cultivation of private piety, as to become 
improperly careless of the important claims of the 
public sphere. Of the two errors, I think the 
former the greater. That is, it is a greater evil 
to neglect personal interests, than it is to neglect 
social interests : for personal interests constitute the 
basis on which social interests rest, and without 
which they would fall into ruins. Still, the true 
plan is to bear both classes of interest in mind, 
and give due attention to each. 

My previous discussions of this subject have 
been of a general character. Sometimes I have 
feared, that while I was conducting these in the 
manner which you have witnessed, some immediate 
personal demands of the congregation might be. 
unmet ; something, in particular, more intimately 
connected with the welfare of the young, with the 
conversion of sinners, with the consolation of the 
afflicted, might be too long omitted. It is, there- 
fore, with special readiness, and zeal, and prayer, 
and hope — if not with special pleasure — that I am 
brought, this morning, by the order of topics 
before me, to a consideration of our personal con- 
nection with this great subject of the authority of 
the Bible — a view of it which ought to be im- 
pressive and useful to every one of us ; and pre- 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 199 

eminently so, in the presence of these sacred and 
solemn memorials of our Saviour's sufferings and 
death. May the Holy Spirit aid us in all our 
services ! 

Personal Opposition to the Bible ! See ! The 
Bible itself anticipates this. Doctrinal and practi- 
cal statements, historical and prophetical examples, 
abound in it — showing that it has entered upon its 
great struggle with a due estimate of the resistance 
to be overcome. Indeed, its whole treatment of 
this subject is plain proof of the omniscience of 
its inspiration. 

Look at a few of its Doctrinal Statements. " The 
carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not 
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." 
Again : — " The natural man receiveth not the 
things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolish- 
ness unto him : neither can he know them, because 
they are spiritually discerned." Again: — " The 
old man" — i.e. the natural or carnal man — "is 
corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts." Again : 
— " Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, mur- 
ders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false-witness, 
blasphemies." And again: — "The works of the 
flesh are manifest, which are these : adultery, 
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, 
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, 

18 



200 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunk- 
enness, revellings, and such, like ; of the which," 
says the apostle, " I tell you before, as I have also 
told you in time past, that they which do such 
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." 

These passages, as you perceive, relate to the 
constitutional condition of our race. Certainly, 
no one can object that they are not plain enough, 
positive enough, decisive enough. Such a con- 
dition must teem with the elements of opposition 
to all holiness, and especially to the Book which 
is the chief visible symbol of holiness. Moreover, 
as our natural condition, it is our common con- 
dition. Not a single individual is exempt from 
it. It may exist in different degrees of virulence, 
and with different modes of manifestation, in 
different persons. Nay, it is plain that it does 
thus exist. But this is the only mitigation 
that can be allowed. Even in the fairest speci- 
mens of natural character, the essential and ma- 
lignant evil prevails to some degree, and in some 
form. Sin, as both hereditary and voluntary, is 
literally universal. 

Look, also, at a few of the Practical Statements 
alluded to. " Ye ask, and receive not, because ye 
ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your 
lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 201 

not that the friendship of the world is enmity with 
God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of 
the world, is the enemy of God. Do ye think 
that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that 
dwelleth in us lusteth to envy ?" Again : — " Love 
not the world, neither the things that are in the 
world. If any man love the world, the love of 
the Father is not in him. For all that is in the 
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the 
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, 
but is of the world. And the world passeth 
away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the 
will of God abideth forever.' ' Every kind and 
degree of this yearning after the world is a mani- 
festation of the natural opposition of the heart to 
God and all goodness. "How can ye believe," 
said Jesus to the Jews, " which receive honor one 
of another, and seek not the honor that cometh 
from God only?" St. Paul, also, speaks of some 
who are " lovers of pleasure more than lovers of 
God." Again, he declares — "The god of this 
world hath blinded the minds of them which 
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel 
of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine 
unto them." And St. James, in an exceedingly 
impressive admonition, says: — "Let no man say 
when he is tempted, I am tempted of God : for 



202 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth 
he any man. But every man is tempted when he 
is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then, 
when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin : 
and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." 
A terrible statement this, and especially the last 
clause of it ! Sin may seem pleasant ; nay, doubt- 
less, in every personal instance, it does seem 
pleasant in the commencement of its development 
and influence. It is selfishness in unchastened 
excitement, in prosperous and joyous action. But 
oh ! how treacherous this pleasant sin is ! Like 
the vampire, while it fans the form it exhausts the 
blood of its victim. Or, to use a Scriptural and 
surer figure, like " the wine when it is red, when 
it giveth its color in the cup, when it moveth itself 
aright, at the last it biteth like a serpent, and 
stingeth like an adder." "Sin, when it is 
finished' ' — Oh ! remember this, all ye upon whom 
it is even now exerting its charming but destruct- 
ive influence — " Sin, when it is finished, bringeth 
forth death." Like the vampire, again, when it is 
full, it leaves its prey in the paleness and coldness 
of a sleep that none can. break. In view of this 
deplorable natural condition, and the necessity of 
a new and higher life to counteract and overcome 
it, well might our Saviour declare, as to the Jewish 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 203 

ruler, with so much solemnity He did declare : — 
" Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be 
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 

Glance, also, at the Historical Statements. In- 
fidels have sometimes reproached the Bible on 
account of its narratives of the wickednesss of 
mankind, and particularly because of its record of 
the errors, faults, and occasional crimes of the 
professed servants and people of God. Strange 
reproach ! Why, all this is demonstration of the 
consistency, fidelity, and candor of the inspired 
writers. Their consistency is demonstrated by 
the accordance of their theory with the great 
mass of facts in all the world ; their fidelity, by 
the acknowledgment of the facts in cases which, 
but for their love of truth, they would have pre- 
ferred to conceal ; and their candor, by the un- 
equivocal concession of guilt in all such instances, 
and, generally, by the appendage of its proper 
punishment also. The sooner it is understood, 
that the Bible both exposes the turpitude, and 
opposes the indulgence and commision of all 
kinds of sin, the better ; for this is the fact, and 
all men ought to agree upon it. 

Here, indeed, is the secret of all personal 
opposition to the Bible. The Bible hates sin; 
but men love it. The Bible opposes sin, and 

18* 



204 THE BIBLE OPPOSED I 

therefore men, in behalf of sin, oppose the 
Bible. 

It is exceedingly painful to remember how in- 
variably this stupid and impure perverseness has 
set itself against all God's gracious designs and 
redeeming interventions. Had it not been for 
this, the Deluge might have been withheld, and 
the lingering beauty of the Paradisaical dispensa- 
tion might have been spared to enchant us still. 
The Deluge was not a natural event. It was the 
reluctant renewal of primitive judgment. It was 
a supernatural and disciplinary visitation. " God 
saw that the wickedness of man was great in the 
earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts 
of his heart was only evil continually. And it 
repented the Lord that he had made man on the 
earth, and it grieved him at his heart." "The 
earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth 
was filled with violence. And God looked upon 
the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh 
had corrupted his way upon the earth." 

Be pleased to pay special attention to this 
closing statement. I have seen it explained as 
meaning that man had corrupted his own way 
upon the earth, — his customs, manners, and habits. 
But, surely, this is not the meaning. The meaning 
is, all flesh had corrupted God's way upon the 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 205 

earth ; and, thus understood, this passage becomes 
one of the key-notes of the whole Bible oratorio, 
or, rather, one of the master-symbols of its great 
philosophy. 

See! God has always had a "way upon the 
earth," i. e. a plan of government ; and this way, 
as the very embodiment of His infinite goodness, 
wisdom, and power, modified to suit the circum- 
stances of the chief eras of time, is the way, of 
course, in which our race ought to have walked. 
Had we walked in God's way, what a path of 
glory and joy it would have proved to be! "As 
for God," — says the Psalmist, — " His way is per- 
fect ; the word of the Lord is tried ; He is a buck- 
ler to all those who trust in him. For who is God, 
save the Lord ? or who is a Rock, save our God ?" 
It matters not how God's way is announced, 
whether by His own voice, by His angels, by in- 
spired men, or, as at present, by the Inspired 
Record ; it is substantially the same way, and the 
right way, and, let men make as many experi- 
ments as they will, the only right way. His 
ways — like those of wisdom — are " ways of plea- 
santness," and all His "paths are peace. " For 
want of willingness to pursue the proper course 
thus divinely prescribed for us, we have stumbled 
upon the mountains and fainted in the valleys, 



206 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

wandering among rocks and pits, and filling the 
world with vain lamentations. 

Why did the Almighty at first impair the hu- 
man estate by the severe judgment pronounced in 
Eden? Because Adam had corrupted His way, 
violated His government, and so made such a 
change absolutely necessary. Just so it was that 
the Deluge was occasioned. All flesh followed 
the example of Adam. After long trial, God 
found His modified administration so utterly per- 
verted and abused that nothing remained but to 
change the whole physical system again , and, by 
means of a new stock, to make a new trial, securing 
if practicable greater obedience, and so exhibiting 
a happier succession of generations. 

The result was much the same as before. 
During the comparatively brief interval between 
the flood and the call of Abraham, it would seem 
that the new race had all lapsed into idolatry. By 
the agency of Abraham, however, God again re- 
vealed His way; and again, in a few hundred 
years, it was generally corrupted. Then came the 
great national manifestation of it, by the miracu- 
lous mission of Moses, and the cloud-wrapt pre- 
sence, and frequent audible superintendency, of 
Jehovah himself. Exceedingly solemn and im- 
perative were the requirements of obedience to 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 207 

this new revelation. "Ye shall observe to do, 
therefore, as the Lord your God hath commanded 
you ; ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or 
to the left. Ye shall walk in all the ways which 
the Lord your God hath commanded you." 
" Thou shalt also consider in thine heart that, as 
a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God 
chasten eth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the 
commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in 
his way, and to fear him." Notwithstanding, 
however, all the wonders and solemnities of that 
grand governmental disclosure, it was not long 
before, to a great extent, it shared the fate of its 
predecessors. Human nature was seen to be as 
unmanageable as of old. 

True, the Mosaic economy in whole was stamped 
too deeply on th>e fortunes of Egypt, of the tribes 
hovering along the borders of the Desert, and of 
the Ganaanites and their conquerors, ever to be 
effaced from the history of the world. In parti- 
cular, it so permeated the personal, domestic, so- 
cial, national, and international life and action of 
the Israelites themselves ; so identified itself with 
every step of their progress through the ages, 
whether in weal or wo, at home or in exile ; so 
multiplied its monuments, and verified its rewards 
and penalties among them, holding them, whether 



208 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

obedient or disobedient, under a manifestly omni- 
present, omniscient, and omnipotent control, — that 
it was utterly impossible it should ever fall into 
such desuetude as to be forgotten. It was divinely 
emblazoned on sky and landscape. It shines there 
still. Nay, it burns there still, burns in wrath, 
waiting for mercy. It is, at this moment, the most 
imperishable thing among the rocks of Sinai. 
The mosque of Omar, overshadowing Moriah, is 
but a mist to the firmament, when compared to 
the endurance of the Law. " Till heaven and earth 
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from 
the law, till all be fulfilled. ,, 

Still, God's way was corrupted again, as in pre- 
ceding instances. I often think of the solicitudes 
of Moses, in this connection ; of the aggregate of 
personal oppositions which he was called to bear 
every day for so many years, and especially 
of his clear, sure, sad prophetic contemplations 
of continued and increased rebellion after his 
decease. Though the meekest of men, he was 
provoked into offences which prevented his own 
entrance into the promised land; and when he 
drew near his last hour, after depositing the Law 
in the Ark as a witness, he mournfully declared, 
44 1 know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck; behold, 
while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 209 

been rebellious against the Lord, and how much 
more after my death? Gather unto me all the 
elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may 
speak these words in their ears, and call heaven 
and earth to record against them. For I know 
that after my death ye will utterly corrupt your- 
selves, and turn aside from the way which I have 
commanded you; and evil will befall you in the 
latter days, because ye will do evil in the sight of 
the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the 
work of your hands." Indeed, the Lord Himself 
refers to the same trial, in one of the Psalms, say- 
ing, "Forty years long was I grieved with that 
generation, and said, It is a people that do err in 
their hearts, and they have not known my ways ; 
unto whom I sware in my wrath, that they should 
not enter into my rest." 

But that was only the beginning. Come down 
to the time of Solomon — a conspicuous example. 
After the gifts made to him of wisdom, under- 
standing, riches, and honor, almost beyond parallel, 
God said to him, "If thou wilt walk in my 
ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, 
as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen 
thy days." That is, I will grant thee the longest 
life for the enjoyment of the greatest prosperity. 
On the memorable day of the dedication of the 



210 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

temple, that same Solomon, in his noble supplica- 
ti9n, thus, in part, besought the Lord: — "Then 
hear thou from heaven, thy dwelling-place, and 
forgive, and render unto every man according unto 
all his ways, whose heart thou knowest ; (for thou 
only knowest the hearts of the children of men ;) 
that they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so 
long as they live in the land which thou gavest 
unto our fathers/' And yet, that same Solomon 
proved himself perhaps the greatest corrupter of 
God's ways whom the Israelites ever knew. There- 
fore it is written, "And the Lord was angry 
with Solomon, because his heart was turned from 
the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto 
him twice. " Therefore, also, the adversaries which 
were raised up to vex him, and therefore, too, the 
threatened, and finally the actual, disruption of his 
kingdom, "because," — said "the Lord, the God 
of Israel," — "that they have forsaken me, and 
have worshipped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the 
Zidonians ; Chemosh, the god of the Moabites ; and 
Milcom, the god of the children of Ammon; and 
have not walked in my ways to do that which is 
right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and 
my judgments, as did David his father." 

Hear the prophet also: — "Who gave Jacob for 
a spoil and Israel to the robbers?" inquired 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 211 

Isaiah. "Did not the Lord, He against whom we 
have sinned ? for they would not walk in his w T ays, 
neither were they obedient unto his law." ."Thus 
saith the Lord," exclaimed Jeremiah, "Stand ye 
in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, 
where is the good w 7 ay, and walk therein, and ye 
shall find rest for your souls. But they said, "We 
will not walk therein." Again : — " Since the day 
that your fathers came forth out of the land of 
Egypt unto this day, I have even sent unto you 
all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early, 
and sending them: yet they hearkened not unto 
me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck ; 
they did worse than their fathers." Therefore 
followed the captivity, with all its humiliations and 
sorrows. Ezekiel represented the Jews as worse than 
the Samaritans and Sodomites, saying, "Yet 
hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done 
after their abominations ; but, as if that were a very 
little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they, in 
all thy ways. As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom 
thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, 
as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters." And 
so it continued, until the close of that dispensa- 
tion : the very last verse of the Old Testament in- 
timating that, but for the change of dispensation, 
God would smite the earth with another curse. 

19 



212 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

Then came the Christian dispensation. " God, 
who at sundry times and in divers manners 
spake in time past unto the fathers by the 
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us 
by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all 
things, by whom also he made the worlds ; who, 
being the brightness of his glory and the express 
image of his person, and upholding all things by 
the word of his power, when he had by himself 
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of 
the Majesty on high; being made so much better 
than the angels, as he hath by inheritance ob- 
tained a more excellent name than they." " There- 
fore," says the same apostle in the same con- 
nection, " we ought to give the more earnest heed 
to the things which we have heard, lest at any 
time we should let them slip. For if the word 
spoken by angels was steadfast, and every trans- 
gression and disobedience received a just recom- 
pence of reward, how shall we escape, if we neg- 
lect so great salvation ; which at the first began to 
be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto 
us by them that heard him; God also bearing 
them witness, both with signs and wonders, and 
with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, 
according to his own will ?" 

But there is too often a great difference between 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 213 

our duty and our conduct; between even our 
interest and our conduct. We have seen what 
ought to have been done ; what a superior welcome 
ought to have been given to this greatest of all 
dispensations: but what was done? what kind 
of a welcome was extended ? The New Testa- 
ment history is not like the Old. Instead of ex- 
tending through more than a thousand years, it 
closes with the first century. Still, it is sufficient 
to show, as far as it goes, a result in this case 
corresponding with that of every preceding case. 
"Prepare ye the way of the Lord," cried the 
Baptist in the wilderness, "make his paths 
straight." And so they did. " Then went out to 
him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region 
round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in 
Jordan, confessing their sins." But, when the 
Lord himself came, in the way thus prepared for 
him, and in the path thus made straight for his 
feet, the very people who had so carefully pre- 
pared His way and straightened His path, "de- 
spised and rejected" Him ! What though he was 
the " Son" of God ? What though He was " the 
heir of all things"? What though He did "make 
the worlds"? What though He was " the bright- 
ness of the Father's glory and the express image 
of His person"? What though He did "uphold 



214 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

all things by the word of His power"? Did He 
not know better than to take upon Him "the 
form of a servant," and be "found in fashion as a 
man" — "a man of sorrows and acquainted with 
grief"? Did He not know that they expected Him 
to appear in transcendent pomp and power ; sub- 
duing the Gentiles to His royal sceptre, and eleva- 
ting Israel to the dominion of the world ? How 
dared He to disappoint their just expectations ? 
Such a Messiah, indeed ! Nay, verily, they " hid, 
as it were," their "faces from Him. He was de- 
spised, and" they " esteemed Him not." That is, 
in few words, in this, as in all other instances, 
they preferred their own way to God's way. Even 
some of those who became convinced, at last, that 
Jesus of Nazareth was really the Christ, soon 
began to corrupt God's way, endeavoring to blend 
the works of the law with the grace of the gos- 
pel ; so that this history also, brief as it is, shows 
the continued and accumulating strength of the 
same old spirit of natural, sinful, opposition, even 
to the wisest and most merciful of all the divine 
instructions in behalf of our race. The Apostolic 
Epistles, in particular, are full of illustrations of 
this opposition. 

As it was with the Jews, so was it with the 
Gentiles. The gospel differed from the law, in 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 215 

the universality of its appeal. No commission 
was ever given to a group of prophets like that 
which Christ gave to his group of apostles. It 
was never said, "Go ye into all the world and 
preach Judaism to every creature.' ' The world 
was reserved for the inheritance of the " new and 
everlasting covenant.' ' Peter opened the gate of 
the Gentiles at Caesarea. Afterward, Paul opened 
a hundred gates, — one of them at Eome itself. 
What, then, was the result among the Gentiles ? 
The gospel found them in an awful condition. It 
is written that, " as they did not like to retain God 
in their knowledge, God" had given "them over 
to a reprobate mind," and they were "filled with 
all unrighteousness." They "walk," said their 
own apostle, again, " in the vanity of their mind, 
having the understanding darkened, being alien- 
ated from the life of God, through the ignorance 
that is in them, because of the blindness, or hard- 
ness, of their heart, who, being past feeling, have 
given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work 
all uncleanness with greediness." As a matter 
of course, the preaching of the gospel to such 
nations was an enterprise of imminent peril, — 
prosecuted always at the risk of life, and often 
with the loss of life. True, everywhere, to some 
extent, the encouragement of success was secured: 

19* 



gl6 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

churches were established in the chief cities 
of the Roman empire ; and Christianity, though 
generally regarded as a new superstition, became 
known throughout the world. Among the Gen- 
tile Christians, however, as well as among the 
Jewish, signs of corruption soon appeared. God's 
way was thought capable of improvement, and the 
rival philosophies of the East and of the West, the 
Persian and the Grecian, both attempted the task 
of making it what it ought to be. These results 
also find their confirmation in the various Epistles. 
The cause was the same, — the old inveteracy of 
human malignity against the purity and wisdom 
of the Divine compassion. 

Turning, however, from the historical state- 
ments of the Bible in this connection, the view 
must be completed by a glance at its Prophetical 
statements. 

Our Lord himself anticipated, even more clearly 
and certainly than did Moses, the character and 
extent of future opposition. Not only His own 
sufferings and death, but the martyrdom of His 
apostles, the persecution of His disciples gene- 
rally, the whole fate of His cause prior to the 
destruction of Jerusalem, and its subsequent pro- 
gressive struggles in all the world, to the end of 
the world, — all this range was open to His con- 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 217 

templation, and more or less fully described in 
His literal and parabolic predictions. When 
Christ had closed His personal ministry and 
ascended to heaven, His Spirit, as was promised, 
took his place. And so said St. Paul : — " Now, the 
Spirit speaketh expressly that, in the latter times, 
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to 
seducing spirits and doctrines of devils ; speaking 
lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared 
with a hot iron ; forbidding to marry, and com- 
manding to abstain from meats, which God hath 
created to be received with thanksgiving of them 
which believe and know the truth. " This, you 
perceive, is the foresight of a great Christian 
apostasy, — a departure from the faith. Again says 
the same apostle : — " This know also, that in the 
last days perilous times shall come ; for men shall 
be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, 
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, un- 
thankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce- 
breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, de- 
spisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, 
high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers 
of God, — having a form of godliness but denying 
the power thereof/ ' This is supposed by some to 
relate to Infidelity, as the other to Romanism ; but 
the latter part of the description connects it with 



218 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

a religious profession, whether honestly made or 
not. Infidelity is more plainly anticipated by 
Peter, in this language: — "There shall come in 
the last days scoffers, walking after their own 
lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of 
His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep 
all things continue as they were from the begin- 
ning of the creation." And so, in the Epistle of 
Jude : — u But, beloved, remember ye the words 
which were spoken before of the apostles of our 
Lord Jesus Christ : how that they told you there 
should be mockers in the last time, who should 
walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they 
who separate themselves, sensual, having not the 
Spirit/ ■ That is, materialism against spiritualism, 
— the great strife, indeed, of all ages, in some form. 
But the last book of the New Testament is the 
one which contains the most numerous, various, 
and impressive anticipations of opposition. The 
most interesting theory in relation to the Apocalypse 
is, that it was designed to complete the cycle of 
revelation by filling up with prophecy the whole 
interval from the Christian era to the end of the 
world ; so that, by means of the history and pro- 
phecy of the Bible conjoined, we may hold in one 
view the entire course of human affairs, from the 
creation of Adam to the final establishment of the 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 219 

city and kingdom of God, and the glorious in- 
heritance of the saints in the full enjoyment of 
everlasting life. 

I cannot enter upon the particular predictions 
of this wonderful book. It answers my purpose 
to notice the fact that they involve a series of 
oppositions — natural, sinful, malignant opposi- 
tions — to all God's works and ways; ending, 
indeed, in the triumph of immortal holiness and 
joy, but continued to the very latest moment of 
practicable resistance, and only destroyed at last 
by the Omnipotence that can tolerate them no 
longer. As long as shall be possible, this poor, 
miserable, foolish nature of ours will summon 
whatever specimens of its hatred remain, to array 
them against all the manifestations of the infinite 
perfections of Jehovah. 

Such, then, is the Bible anticipation of opposition, 
—of personal opposition, assuming in its progress 
all varieties of social opposition. Its doctrinal and 
practical statements are strictly, truly, and satisfac- 
torily philosophical. Its historical and prophetical 
examples — corroborated and confirmed by the ob- 
servation, experience, and literary and other monu- 
ments, of all mankind — are exactly such as would 
be expected to accompany and illustrate such a 
philosophy. The lesson which combines all the 



220 THE BIBLE OPPOSED! 

elements we have collected is this : — That there is a 
constitutional opposition of man to God, — of man's 
selfishness to God's benevolence, of man's supposed 
wisdom to God's real wisdom, of man's sensualism 
to God's spiritualism, of man's foulness to God's 
holiness, of man's madness to God's mercy, of 
man's wretchedness to God's happiness; and that 
this natural, common, personal hostility has mani- 
fested itself, from the beginning of the world, in the 
instant rejection or gradual corruption of every plan 
of government and every covenant of redemption 
which God has ever introduced into the world ; 
or, in one word, has manifested itself in the per- 
petual preference of our own way to the way of 
the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, 
— the only wise God and our Savior. 

It is with all this reason to anticipate continued 
opposition that the Bible comes to us this day. It 
comes to us, knowing that we naturally dislike it. 
It comes to us, knowing that in many instances, 
at least, we have dishonored it, and still dishonor 
it. It comes to us, knowing that on thousands of 
occasions we have preferred the merest trash of 
bigots, fools, and skeptics to the rich infinitude 
of its redeeming and Divine intelligence. It comes 
to us, knowing that, although God has magnified 
it above all His name, we have presumed to pass 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 221 

it with neglect or repel it with scorn. Still, it 
comes to us with a pity as great as its glory. It 
comes to us to plead with us, — to plead with us in 
the spirit of one of its own prophets, — nay, in the 
Spirit of the God who sent him. 

" "Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith 
the Lord, and with your children's children will 
I plead. For, pass over the isles of Chittim, and 
see, and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, 
and see if there be such a thing. Hath a nation 
changed its gods ? — which yet are no gods ? But 
my people have changed their glory for that which 
doth not profit. Be astonished, ye heavens, at 
this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, 
saith the Lord. For my people have committed 
two evils : they have forsaken me, the fountain of 
living waters, and hewed to themselves cisterns, 
broken cisterns, that can hold no water." ISTo 
wonder the heavens were called to darken and 
shudder over such a scene of ineffable folly and 
woe ! 

But w r e have committed the same evils. And 
yet the Bible comes to us still, pleading with us, 
and with our children, and with our children's 
children, beseeching us to return to our God. 

Surely it is an unspeakable condescension for 
the Almighty to assert his own superiority to such 



222 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

worms as we are ; and yet, unless He do it, we are 
lost. Never can we cast off the case of our worm- 
hood and soar away upon the pinions of angelic 
immortality, until, by some means, God succeeds 
in getting the notion and the belief and the ad- 
miration of His own infinite excellency into our 
souls, to annihilate the insolence of self and sin 
and quicken us with the sympathies of universal 
truth and love. 

Hearken, then, to the gracious challenge: — 
" Seek ye the Lord while He may be found; call 
ye upon Him while he is near. Let the wicked 
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his 
thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and 
He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for 
He will abundantly pardon. For" — see! here is 
the divine condescension, — "for my thoughts are 
not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, 
saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher 
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your 
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.'' 

Oh, the goodness of God ! to stoop to assure us 
of such a truth as this ! And yet we need such 
stooping; for, though no language in heaven, 
earth, or hell can declare the absurdity of the 
thing, still, it is the fact of all time, the demon- 
stration of every age and of every generation, 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 223 

that we think our thoughts higher than God's 
thoughts and our ways higher than God's ways. 
Thank God, therefore, for condescending to assure 
us that this is an error ! Thank God for the hope 
that the world will yet confess and abandon this 
error ! Thank God for the number of those who 
have abandoned it, and who now sit, in their right 
mind, clothed with humility, at the feet of Jesus, 
with the open Bible on their knees, and the light 
of their Master's countenance shining upon it ! 

Oh, my brethren, it was always so, though the 
world knew it not ! Before the first book of the 
Bible was written, the voice that proclaimed the 
ways of God was the sublimest voice on all the 
air. "When the first book of the Bible was written, 
that book was the sublimest vision in all the light. 
As book after book was added to the first, it was 
like the opening of heaven over heaven, revealing 
new forms of truth and good, of beauty and 
bliss. "When the whole development was com- 
plete, it was like the telescopic expansion of a 
boundless universe before contracted or con- 
cealed. And now, pleased with His work, God 
hallows the Sabbath of revelation, and magnifies 
His word above all his name. It is full of His 
thoughts and ways, — full of thoughts of wisdom 

and ways of mercy, full of thoughts of pardon 

20 



224 THE bible opposed: 

and ways of salvation, full of thoughts of grace 
and ways of glory. As the heavens are higher 
than the earth ; as the meteoric heavens are higher 
than the earth ; as the starry heavens are higher 
than the earth ; as the third heavens are higher 
than the earth; as the heaven of heavens — 
transcending the utmost amplitudes of all as- 
tronomy, overarching and comprehending all 
other heavens; as that heaven — the heaven of 
innumerable and immeasurable heavens, the Lord 
God Almighty's own intensely-illumined, inac- 
cessible, and imperishable heaven — is higher than 
the earth, if any one can remember what the 
earth is, — so are God's thoughts higher than our 
thoughts, and God's ways higher than our ways ! 
The Bible is the spiritual immensity in which the 
thoughts of God are suns and the ways of God 
are systems. There they shine forever, there 
they roll forever, — every thought more radiant 
than our noonday fire, and every way more beauti- 
ful than Saturn with all his rings and moons, and 
with a wider sweep than Neptune through all his 
tremulous range of outer gloom. There they 
shine forever and roll forever,— some in sight, and 
some out of sight, ever multiplying through the 
penetrating power of more spiritual instruments, 
and still stretching away and away and away, as if 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 225 

to invite the continually-extending explorations 
of our most earnest and delighted immortality. 

But all efforts are vain to tell the true difference 
between the thoughts and ways of God and those 
of man. God is infinite, man is finite ; and we 
can say no more. Let us therefore descend to 
simple and more practical views. Let us resolve 
that we will return to God ; that, we will endeavor 
to improve the gift of the Bible ; that we will take 
from it God's thoughts and try to make them our 
own thoughts, and take from it His ways and 
try to make them our own ways. 

If Adam had not preferred his own way to 
God's way, Paradise might have been blooming 
yet. If the antediluvians, generally, had not 
corrupted God's way upon the earth, the foun- 
tains of the great deep might have remained 
sealed until this very hour. If the postdiluvians 
had not fallen into the same sin, the confusion of 
tongues and division of nations might never have 
been necessary. If the Israelites had not followed 
the sad example, they might have enjoyed the dew 
of heaven and the fatness of the earth in their 
own holy land even to this day. If the early 
Christians had been true to their trust, Komanism, 
Grecianism, and Protestantism might never have 
disturbed the world, and all other evils might long 



226 THE BIBLE OPPOSED: 

ago have vanished from the realms of truth and 
peace. If we ourselves had not, "like sheep, 
gone astray," had not "turned every one to his 
own way," it would not have been requisite for 
us to remember, with shame and grief, that the 
"Lord hath laid upon" Jesus " the iniquity of us 
all." 

Alas for the series of unspeakable humilia- 
tions ! Behold the consequences of this miserable 
wilfulness of our race ! Adam exchanged the 
sonship of God for the servitude of the devil. 
The antediluvians rebelled against their Maker 
for the privilege of murdering each other and 
destroying the world. The postdiluvians forgot 
the rainbow Redeemer to worship brutes and 
reptiles. The Israelites forsook the Mighty One 
who smote Egypt, sundered the sea, shaded the 
desert, shook the mountain, parted the river, and 
rolled the thunder of His omnipotence from the 
palm-covered wells of Beersheba to the cedar- 
crowned peaks of Lebanon, to bow down to the 
meanest idols of the tribes they conquered and en- 
slaved. The Christians abandoned their allegiance 
to the Son and Heir of the Highest to kiss the 
slipper of the Pope, exchanged the authority of 
the Bible for the authority of the miscalled 
Church, and renounced the spiritual merits of the 



PERSONAL OPPOSITION. 227 

blood of atonement for the transubstantiated 

mysteries of a wafer. And we ourselves, — what 

have we gained by this marvellous preference of 

our own way to God's way ? Is there man or 

woman here who does not know that all the 

degradations and remorseful remembrances of life 

are consequences of selfish opposition to the 

purity, wisdom, and benevolence of Jehovah ? 

"Who is there among us, that, having used the 

Bible as the lamp to his feet and the light to his 

path, has gone astray ? 

Oh, let the time past suffice wherein we have 

wrought folly. Have we ardent affections ? Let 

us purify them with the love of God as revealed 

in the Bible. Have we an indomitable will? Let 

us devote it to the promotion of the cause of 

the Bible. Have we genius ? Let us quicken 

it with the inspirations of the Bible. Have 

we learning ? Let us humble it before the 

unerring truthfulness of the Bible. Have we 

wealth ? Let us consecrate it to the benevolent 

promptings of the Bible. Let our character, in 

whole, be a Bible character. Let our homes be 

Bible homes. Let our churches be Bible churches. 

Let us remember that the glory is not in the 

house, not in the style, not in the cost, not 

in the material magnificence or feplendor of any 

20* 



228 THE BIBLE OPPOSED. 

external connection, but in the gospel, — in the 
man-subduing gospel; in the God-glorifying gos- 
pel ; in the gospel which is the " power of God 
anto salvation unto every one that believeth." 



SERMON X. 



THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 



" Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." 
Ps. cxxxviii. 2. 

PART I. 

This last sermon of the series brings us to our 
proper culminating topic. In preceding discourses 
we have noticed, briefly — What the Bible is in itself; 
What it is as compared with Creation and Providence, 
with the Church and the State ; What it is as pre- 
eminently the Book of Christ ; What its current con- 
dition is as the only sensible, infallible, and divine 
authority on earth; How it is abroad, and rightly 
abroad, in all the world ; and, How, being thus abroad, 
it is extensively and violently opposed. Now, there- 
fore, as just intimated, I propose to conclude with 
the culmination of the whole subject in the triumph 
of the Bible over all opposition. 

The only argument required in the case may be 

229 



230 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

presented in the form of a simple inference from the 
text. That is — As God, from the beginning, has 
magnified His word above all His name, so He will 
continue to magnify it even unto the end. This 
inference commends itself to my judgment as all- 
sufficient for the occasion, and is the more acceptable 
because of its harmony with all that has gone before. 
It will be found, however, more than a mere infer- 
ence — a doctrine confirmed by numerous, explicit, and 
decisive testimonies. 

See ! The chief forms of opposition to the Bible, 
as heretofore stated, are — Pagan, Mohammedan, Jew- 
ish and nominally Christian. The Pagan, Moham- 
medan and Jewish forms of it are comparatively 
passive; the nominally Christian alone being earn- 
estly and widely active. This active opposition was 
described as Ecclesiastical, Civil, Social, and Personal. 
The Ecclesiastical was found, in different degrees, in 
the Greek, Koman, and Protestant Churches; the 
Civil in all countries where Church and State are 
united; the Social in connection with speculative 
philosophy, natural science, natural theology, biblical 
criticism, popular literature, business pursuits, be- 
nevolent associations, semi-benevolent associations, 
public amusements, and fashionable religion. To 
these might have been added the grosser forms of 
infidelity and such delusions and impostures as Mor- 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 231 

monism and Spiritualism. The personal opposition 
was traced to the natural corruption of the heart, as 
witnessed in its historic and prophetic developments. 
This indeed prevails not only within the limits of 
Christendom, but among all our race. 

Now, therefore, the affirmation is, that over all this 
opposition the Bible is destined to triumph ! Do you 
ask — How ? when ? where ? Do you say, It requires 
strong faith to assure one of this ? For lo ! the vast, 
passive, stolid, ignorant, superstitious, vicious, ob- 
stinate opposition of Paganism, Mohammedanism, 
and Judaism ! And lo ! the zealous, active, wide- 
spread, various, subtle, searching, insidious, unrelent- 
ing opposition within our own Christian borders! 
Can it be that all this shall be overcome ? Certainly : 
all this, and more than this, if there be any more, 
both can and will be overcome : more certainly than 
that the sun shall rise to-morrow. 

Remember how, from the beginning, God has mag- 
nified His word above all His name. Remember that 
there was a time, more than three thousand years ago, 
before the first book of the Bible was written. "What- 
ever was known of God, then, was learned from His 
works, or received by tradition from such of the 
patriarchs as had held oral communication with Him 
or His messengers. The intelligence thus accumulated 
was incidental and imperfect. Something was neces- 



232 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

sary, more correct and complete, and in a form better 
adapted to perpetual preservation. Then it was, that, 
to begin at least the supply of this necessity, Moses, 
by divine inspiration, composed the book of Genesis. 
Think of it! — that first inspired record! There 
alone it existed, a single, autograph volume, in an 
encampment of emancipated slaves, in the Arabian 
desert. And yet, even of that one manuscript, it 
might have been said, God has magnified His word 
above all His name ; for never before was He so glori- 
ously revealed to mankind, either by natural symbols 
or in personal interviews. Next, by the same author, 
followed Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuter- 
onomy, so perfecting what has ever since been styled 
the Law of Moses. Then, after the entrance into 
Canaan, succeeded Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and 
Second Samuel, and First Chronicles. Perhaps the 
book of Job was written in the early part of the same 
period. So far we have twelve books. Then came 
the Psalms, chiefly, indeed, by David, but in part by 
other authors, and occupying, in whole, some five 
hundred years. The one containing our text is en- 
titled, A Psalm of David. If David was its author, 
he must have referred, in the text, to the twelve 
books just mentioned. Thou hast magnified Thy 
word, as found in these twelve books, above all Thy 
name. Notwithstanding its title, however, this 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 233 

Psalm is assigned, by some chronologists, to a later 
date — even so late as the dedication of the second 
temple, on which occasion they supposed it was sung. 
If this be correct, then, in the interval, about twenty 
other books had been added, and the text must be 
regarded as applying to thirty-two in all. Seven 
books of the Old Testament, and all the books of 
the New Testament, are thus omitted from the 
original application of the text. That is, the Psalm- 
ist, whoever he was, and whenever he lived, is not to 
be understood as affirming, primarily, of the whole 
Bible, just as we have it — the sixty-six books of the 
Old and New Testaments both — that God has mag- 
nified His word, in this form, above all His name ; but, 
as a matter of course, he affirmed this only of the in- 
spired records which were then extant, unless pro- 
phetically, whether twelve, twenty or more. At 
most, they were only a part of the Old Testament ; 
and yet, just as they stood, they were crowned by Je- 
hovah, in the presence of the universe, with this in- 
comparable honor. It will appear, on a little re- 
flection, that this contemplation is of importance in 
the progress of our discussion. 

See ! Before the production of those books, and 
during the ages in which they were produced, heaven 
and earth were as full of the natural symbols of the 
Divine existence, character, and government as they 



234 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

are now. Creation and providence everywhere dis- 
played their permanent and changeable wonders — 
sun and moon, stars and comets, continents and 
oceans, day and night, and the rolling seasons. Nay, 
more, society had already assumed organic forms, 
more or less resembling Church and State, and claim- 
ing the right, by Divine authority, to impart instruc- 
tion and enforce obedience in the high relations of 
religion and law. Still further, as already intimated, 
amidst the abounding false pretensions, there was a 
traditional line of true revelation, which had come 
down from the beginning, though not designed as 
continuously adequate to the growing wants of the 
world. But when, in after ages, the Almighty would 
direct attention to His grandest disclosures of truth — 
to the noblest means He had employed to accelerate 
and improve the progress of mankind — whither did 
He point ? To sun or moon ? star or comet ? earth, 
air, or sea ? day or night ? spring, summer, autumn, 
or winter ? Had He spent the centuries in embellish- 
ing with new and more splendid significance the im- 
mensity of creation ? or in giving clearer voice and 
juster harmony to the innumerable instrumentalities 
of providence ? Had He ever appeared in our noon- 
day sky, teaching the nations in tones reverberating 
from pole to pole ? Had He ever taken His stand 
among the stars and written His will, in sight of the 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 235 

world, with his own right hand, on the smooth firma- 
ment, in lines of indelible lightning? No, no; the 
vast circles of creation, providence, and society, re- 
mained as they were. God had done more than all 
this, and was content to point to the few parchment 
records among His chosen people, in their little sea- 
coast heritage, and proclaim to men and angels that 
He had magnified His word, as thus given to them, 
above all His name ! There the Sun of the Law, and 
the Moon of the Prophecy, far more magnificent than 
the lights of nature and the miracles of providence, 
at the command of our greater Joshua, stood still, 
not for a day only, but for ages on ages, shining on 
Zion and all the realm around it, with a glory and 
beauty nowhere else disclosed, and with results of 
victory. 

It is astonishing how men are imposed upon by 
the material, even by matter without life. There is 
a bowlder ; here is a grain of wheat. The bowlder 
weighs a thousand tons ; the grain scarcely anything. 
But the bowlder is a great thing, and the grain a 
little thing. Bowl the bowlder around the globe, 
east and west, north and south. Try every soil with 
it, and every climate. Let it rest a century for each 
experiment. And what is the result ? ' Tis the same 
bowlder still, only worn by the abrasion and exposure. 

Meantime, some one has planted the grain of wheat 

21 



236 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

in the centre of the Mississippi valley ; and while you 
are vainly bowling the bowlder, he sees the wheat 
run eastward to the Alleghanies, westward to the 
Rocky. Mountains, over both to the Atlantic and the 
Pacific, and northward and southward toward both 
poles, annually whitening into a universal harvest. 
What difference can it make whether the truth be 
revealed on a world, or in a word ? The word is 
nothing, and the world is nothing — the truth is all. 
"What is the truth? that is the question. Would you 
understand, more perfectly, how it is that God has 
magnified His word above all His name ? — how He 
did thus magnify even the part of it to which the 
text originally referred ? Behold, how easy, and how 
satisfactory, the answer ! It was — by the truth He 
put in it : that truth which is spirit and life. And 
what truth did He put in it? Take Genesis — the 
first book. Take the first chapter. Take the first 
verse. And hark ! — " In the beginning God created 
the heavens and the earth." What now? May I 
not ask, with equal reverence and confidence, could 
God himself improve that ? Would it be any im- 
provement to make the first heaven, the second 
heaven, the third heaven, or the heaven of heavens, 
all ablaze with it ? Would it be any simpler or sub- 
limer in itself, or could we understand it any better ? 
Is it not complete? Take the third verse: "And 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 237 

God said, Let there be light ; and there was light." 
Is not that absolutely perfect ? Is it not next to the 
creation of the light — the one God's act, and the other 
just as evidently his own declaration of the act ? If 
all the light in the universe were employed in re- 
peating the record to the utmost reach of immensity, 
it would be no plainer or grander than it now is. 
Take the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh verses : 
"And God said, Let us make man, in our image, 
after our likeness ; and let them have dominion over 
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and 
over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every 
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So, God 
created man, in His own image, in the image of God 
created He him ; male and female created He them." 
Was it possible for the Almighty to give greater 
dignity to humanity than by such a revelation as 
that ? Who can even imagine a truth more exalted, or 
a form more fit for its conveyance to our race ? And 
so with the whole chapter. Its Divine intelligence is 
worthy to be embodied in the amplest and most illus- 
trious symbols of the universe ; but it has pleased 
God the rather to enshrine it in His word, and so He 
has magnified His word above all His name. 

This, however, is merely the beginning : the first 
chapter of the first book. And what shall I say 
of the additional truth in the forty-nine other chap- 



238 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

ters of this same book, narrating, as they do, the con- 
trolling events of the world, from the creation to the 
death of the patriarch Joseph — an interval of more 
than twenty-three centuries ? Think of the original 
condition of moral and physical perfection in Para- 
dise. Think of the introduction of sin, and its 
awful consequences, universal and perpetual. Think 
of the promise of redemption. Think of the world 
before the Flood. Think of the Flood itself, and its 
effects in all the earth. Think of the world after the 
Flood. Think of the covenant with Noah. Think 
of the division of the earth. Think of the confusion 
of tongues. Think of the separation of the nations. 
Think of the prevalence of idolatry. Think of the 
call of Abraham, and of the covenant with him and 
his seed for ever. Think of the descent of the Israel- 
ites into Egypt ; and so come again to the close of 
this first book. Within this range, we have the his- 
tory of more than a third of the duration of the 
world : the history both of nature and society, and 
of the manifestations of God Himself, personally ancl 
by His angels, in government of both. Moreover, 
prophecies are interspersed through all the record, 
taking hold on all time and extending into eternity. 
This is the truth in the case ; truth of vital import- 
ance to the honor of our Maker and the welfare of 
our race. God has magnified this part of His word 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. ' 239 

by committing this truth to its keeping ; and magni- 
fied it above all His name, inasmuch as it is truth 
which can be found nowhere else, and which, not- 
withstanding all opposition, ancient and modern, has 
been sacredly maintained, in this form, free from any 
fatal error, through the vicissitudes of all generations. 
Does God uphold the universe ? Not more certainly 
than he guards, sanctions, and sustains His own au- 
thority in the Book of Genesis. 

It is a common thing for preachers to make fre- 
quent reference to the beginning, as described in this 
book. Some complain of this. The complaint is 
unjust. Such references are inevitable. The proph- 
ets made them. The apostles made them. Our 
Saviour Himself made them. They are essential to 
the understanding of our Holy Religion, and of most, 
if not all, of the greatest problems which agitate 
modern society. To say the least of it, the Book of 
Genesis is as important this moment, as it ever was. 
"Thy word is true from the beginning," said the 
Psalmist: "and every one of Thy righteous judg- 
ments endureth forever." So of this particular book. 
Like Christ Himself, whose works of creation it nar- 
rates, and whose works of redemption it predicts, it 
is " the same, yesterday, to-day, and forever." It is 
styled Breshiih — " In the beginning," and is designed 

to connect the beginning with the end. 

21* 



240 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

And what now ? It is obviously impracticable to 
notice, even thus briefly, each of the books originally 
alluded to in the text. But, the next in order, the 
book of Exodus, must not be passed without some 
special attention. I need not describe the servile 
sufferings of the Israelites in Egypt, nor the mission 
of Moses, nor the smiting of the oppressors, nor the 
deliverance of the oppressed, nor their subsistence in 
the desert, nor the great variety of minor statutes and 
judgments enjoined upon them. When I ask, How 
did God magnify the book of Exodus, in particular, 
above all His name ? What truth did He put into 
this part of His word ? — the first grand and mighty 
answer comes : He committed to it, from His own 
vocal rehearsal, and from His own stone-wrought 
autograph, the perfect purity of the Moral Law — the 
transcript of the Decalogue — the Ten Command- 
ments, as though numbered upon His fingers, to 
show their completeness ; the Two Tables, as though 
the stretching forth of His hands, all thrilling with 
omnipotence, to grasp the palpitating conscience of 
the world, and hold" it fast forever. 

In this instance, God did manifest himself person- 
ally : not among the stars, indeed, nor yet in the 
zenith of our own sky, nor to all the nations of the 
earth, but on the top of one of the noblest mountains 
of the globe, in open day, and in the presence of the 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 241 

twelve tribes ; not visibly, indeed, except as to the 
clouds which enshrined Him, but more distinctly au- 
dible than trumpet or thunder, searching the souls of 
all with overpowering solemnity, and causing them 
to shrink from the terrible glory in fear of instant 
death. Hark ! and as you hearken, think — think 
how little would be gained, if such words were in- 
scribed on the firmament or sounded from the planets, 
" And God spake all these words, saying : " 

"I am the Lord thy God, w 7 hich have brought 
thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of 
bondage. 

" Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

" Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, 
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, 
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water 
under the earth : thou shalt not bow down thyself to 
them, nor serve them ; for I the Lord thy God am a 
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon 
the children unto the third and fourth generations of 
them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands 
of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 

" Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy 
God in vain ; for the Lord will not hold him guilt- 
less that taketh his name in vain. 

" Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. Six 



242 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work : but the 
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : in 
it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor 
thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, 
nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy 
gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and 
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the 
seventh day : wherefore the Lord blessed the Sab- 
bath-day, and hallowed it. 

" Honour thy father and thy mother ; that thy days 
may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God 
giveth thee. 

" Thou shalt not kill. 

" Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

" Thou shalt not steal. 

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
neighbour. 

" Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou 
shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man- 
servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, 
nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." 

Who can imagine the awful sublimity of such 
scenery, such a voice, such commandments, and such 
a conscious nearness of God ! No wonder that the 
people, witnessing " the thunderings, and the light- 
nings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the moun- 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 243 

tain smoking" — " removed and stood afar off!" No 
wonder " they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, 
and we will hear : but let not God speak with us, lest 
we die ! " How amazingly did Jehovah then " mag- 
nify" His " word" above all " His name !" 

But there is another instance in this book, of simi- 
lar grandeur. True, it is a revelation, made directly 
to Moses alone ; but, through him, it was made to 
Israel and the world. It is of the utmost importance. 
I allude to the proclamation of the name of Jehovah ; 
with its moral significance ; as recorded in the thirty- 
fourth chapter. You may remember, that in the 6th 
chapter, "God spake unto Moses, and said unto 
him, I am the Lord ; and I appeared unto Abraham, 
unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God 
Almighty; but by my name Jehovah was I not 
known to them." And yet, in Genesis, the name of 
Jehovah occurs, frequently, from the time of Adam 
down. Critics have been greatly perplexed by this 
fact ; and many theories have been proposed to ac- 
count for it. Some of these may be satisfactory 
enough ; and yet, it seems to me that there is another 
perhaps more satisfactory. I mean this : — that, ad- 
mitting that the name of Jehovah was known to the 
patriarchs, they did not know the nature of God by 
this name, for, the meaning of it was not particularly 
revealed to them. They needed to know the power 



244 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

of God more than his other attributes ; and therefore 
he manifested himself unto them by the name of God 
Almighty." In his covenant with Abraham, for in- 
stance, he said : — " I am the Almighty God : walk 
before me and be thou perfect. And I will make my 
covenant between me and thee, and will multiply 
thee exceedingly." — " And I will make thee exceed- 
ing faithful, and I will make nations of thee, and 
kings shall come out of thee." — "And I will give 
unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land where- 
in thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an 
everlasting possession; and I will be their God." 
All this, as you perceive, addressed to a man nearly 
a hundred years old, required special confidence in 
the creative and proprietary omnipotence of him who 
gave the promise, and therefore it was introduced by 
the declaration, "I am the Almighty God." But, 
now, to Moses, and to the Israelites in whole, it was 
desirable, and not only desirable but necessary, that 
there should be a more complete revelation of the 
Divine nature — a revelation, not only of his natural 
attributes, but more particularly, of his moral cha- 
racter. And this more complete revelation, as we 
shall see, was granted, by making known, for the 
first time, what the patriarchs had not known, the 
meaning of the name Jehovah. They may have 
known the name y but, if they did, that was all, or 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 245 

nearly all. Its meaning was either not known or 
very imperfectly known, until, as we shall see, it was 
revealed unto Moses : and, through him, to Israel 
and to the world, fully and forever. 

Moses was oppressed by the responsibility of his 
office as the Leader of Israel, and, having no trust but 
in God, he was exceedingly anxious to know the pre- 
vailing dispositions, or moral principles of the Divine 
Nature, in relation especially to such a sinful, ig- 
norant, rebellious set of people as these emancipated 
slaves were. He seems to have feared that God would 
abandon them, as utterly unworthy his further pro- 
tection and care, and so that the whole enterprise 
should fail. He had seen proofs enough of the 
strength of God's arm, but what was the controlling 
feeling of his heart ? This was what he wanted to 
know; and, therefore, when God had assured him 
that he would not forsake them, Moses added this 
one more prayer — "I beseech thee, show me thy 
glory ; " or, as it has been rendered by some, " I be- 
seech thee, show me thy heart" — thine essential and 
controlling nature. And the Lord said — "I will 
make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will 
proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and 
will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will 
show mercy on whom I will show mercy." So, at 
the appointed time and place, while Moses stood in 



246 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

the cleft of the rock on Mount Sinai, Jehovah de- 
scended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and 
proclaimed the name of Jehovah. And Jehovah 
passed by before him, and proclaimed, JEHOVAH, 
JEHOVAH God, merciful and gracious, long-suffer- 
ing, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping 
mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and trans- 
gression and sin, and that will by no means clear the 
guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the 
children, and upon the children's children, unto the 
third and to the fourth generation ! " 

No wonder that when Moses heard this, he " made 
haste, bowed his head toward the earth, and wor- 
shipped." He had been favored with the grandest 
disclosure of the Divine character ever made ; and 
under circumstances never to be forgotten. And, not 
only as regarded previous history, but, also, for fifteen 
hundred years afterward, or for more than four thou- 
sand years in all, this continued to be the grandest 
proclamation of the nature of God. There can be 
no doubt that it was intended to be the standard rep- 
resentation, for remembrance and reference, especially 
among the Israelites, through all the ages of their 
national existence. It was a kind of argument, or 
plea, with which Jehovah purposely provided them 
in advance, to encourage them to come to his throne, 
and assure them that, notwithstanding their sins, 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 247 

they would always, as penitents, find it to be a throne 
of Grace, a Mercy-Seat, where they might " obtain 
mercy, and find grace to help" them, in every " time 
of need." It was a revelation never surpassed until 
the personal advent of Christ. 

It has often been in my heart to trace the influence 
of this Standard Proclamation of the meaning of the 
name Jehovah, as manifest in the later books of 
Scripture : for, in reading these books, I have often 
met the indications of this influence. In the present 
instance, particularly, I thought of doing this ; but, 
having made the examinations necessary to such an 
exhibition, I find that the illustrations are entirely 
too numerous for such an occasion. A selection of 
these, however, it may be desirable to notice. 

I begin with Moses himself. No sooner was the 
proclamation made, than he proceeded, with grateful 
and humble boldness, to take advantage of it, in behalf 
of the sinful tribes around him. Having bowed his 
head and worshipped, he immediately offered this 
prayer : " If now I have found grace in thy sight, O 
Jehovah, let Jehovah, I pray thee, go among us; 
for it, (or this) is a stiff-necked people ; and pardon 
our iniquity, and our sin, and take us for thine in- 
heritance." 

Again, in the 14th ch. of Numbers, Jehovah is 
represented as about to destroy the Israelites, utterly, 

22 



248 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

for their great provocations ; and then Moses pleads 
with him again on the same ground, saying : " If 
thou — kill all this people as one man, then the na- 
tions which have heard the fame of thee will speak, 
saying, Because Jehovah was not able to bring this 
people into the land which he sware unto them, there- 
fore he hath slain them in the wilderness. And now, 
I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, 
according as thou hast spoken" — See ! — " saying, Je- 
hovah is long-suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving 
iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing 
the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon 
the children unto the third and fourth generation. 
Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people, 
according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as 
thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until 
now. And Jehovah said, I have pardoned accord- 
ing to thy word : but, as truly as I live, all the earth 
shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah." So, in- 
stead of instantly destroying them, he turned them 
back into the wilderness, to pass their lives there, and 
afford an opportunity to raise up a braver and hardier 
generation. So when David brought up the arlc, he 
ordered Asaph and his brethren to sing: " O, give 
thanks unto Jehovah, for he is good, and his mercy 
endureth forever." 

So, when Solomon dedicated the temple to the 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 249 

worship and glory of Jehovah, he prayed, again and 
again, that, as the name of Jehovah was to abide 
there, whenever his people, however sinful, should 
turn to him, and " confess his name" in time of war, 
or of drought, or of famine, or of pestilence, or of far- 
off captivity, and pray unto him, and make supplica- 
tion unto him, he would hear, and forgive, and forgive, 
and still forgive, remembering his covenant with their 
fathers, and cherishing them still as his chosen in- 
heritance. 

So, at the restoration of worship, under Nehe- 
miah, in connection with the second temple, the Le- 
vites, after confessing the transgressions of the nation, 
added — " But, thou art a God ready to pardon, gra- 
cious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kind- 
ness." 

So, in the prayer of Daniel : — " O Lord, to us 
belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, 
and to our fathers, because we have sinned against 
thee" — but — "to the Lord, our god, belong mercies 
and forgiveness ." And again : " We do not present our 
supplications before thee, for our righteousness, but, 
for thy great mercies. O Lord, hear ; O Lord, for- 
give : O Lord, hearken and do ; defer not, for thine 
own sake, O my God, for thy city and thy people 
are called by thy name " — that is, by the name of 
Jehovah. 



250 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

So, in the exhortation of Hosea — "O Israel, re- 
turn unto Jehovah, thy God ; for thou hast fallen 
by thine iniquity. Take with you words" — what 
words but the old words of Sinai? — "and turn unto 
Jehovah, and say unto him, Take away all iniquity, 
and receive us graciously" 

So, also, in the prophecy of Joel — "Therefore 
also now, saith Jehovah, Turn ye to me with all 
your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and 
with mourning ; and rend your heart, and not your 
garments, and turn unto Jehovah, your God: for — 
he is gracious, and merciful, slow to anger, and of 
great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil." 

So, likewise, in the prayer of Jonah — the impa- 
tient prophet, if I may so style him. And here I 
may glance, in passing, at a strange mistake made by 
one of the most learned and celebrated of modern 
Biblical critics, in this connection. Looking at his 
remarks on Jonah, especially in relation to Jonah's 
anger, I was surprised to find it said : — " That God is 
merciful to the penitent, wherever they are found, he 
did not know" And yet the passage in his prayer, 
which I was just about to cite, proves plainly enough 
that he did know all about it : — for — " He prayed 
unto Jehovah, and said, I pray thee, O Jehovah, 
was not this my saying, when I was yet in my coun- 
try ? Therefore I fled unto Tarshish : for I knew 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 251 

that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to 
anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of 
the evil." 

So, again, in Micah. "Who is a God like unto 
thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the trans- 
gression of the remnant of his heritage ? he retaineth 
not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. 
He will turn again, he will have compassion upon 
us ; he will subdue our iniquities ; and thou wilt cast 
all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt 
perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abra- 
ham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from 
the days of old." 

In like manner I might refer to the Psalms — 
many, many thrilling passages, but a very few will 
be enough : — 

Thus in the 86th — "Bejoice the soul of thy ser- 
vant ; for unto thee, O Jehovah, do I lift up my 
soul. For thou, Jehovah, art good, and ready to 
forgive ; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call 
upon thee." 

So in the 103d — "Jehovah made known his ways 
unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. 
Jehovah is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and 
plenteous in mercy" 

So in the 130th — " Let Israel hope in Jehovah : 
for with Jehovah there is mercy, and with him is 

22* 



252 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

'plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel 
from all his iniquities." 

So in the 145th. — " Jehovah is gracious, and full 
of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy. 
Jehovah is good to all, and his tender mercies are 
over all his work." 

As for the 136th Ps. — it both begins and ends with 
thanksgiving for mercy — " O give thanks unto Je- 
hovah : for he is good ; for his mercy endureth for- 
ever." " O give thanks unto the God of heaven, for 
his mercy endureth forever." And every one of its 
twenty-six verses, closes with this glad refrain — " for 
his mercy endureth forever." 

It seems as if Christ, or Jehovah, on Sinai, were 
speaking not only to Moses, or to Israel, but to the 
whole world, his voice, of divinest music,, sounding 
down through all the ages — Jehovah, Jehovah 
God. 

PAKT II. 
And, what now ? To pass through all the Scrip- 
tural books, after the manner in which Genesis and 
Exodus were noticed, is manifestly impracticable. 
Two books, thus reviewed, on each occasion, would 
require thirty-three sermons for the whole sixty- 
six. The questions, in relation to each one, would 
be — How did God magnify this book above all his 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 253 

name ? What special truth did he commit to this 
portion of his word? And these would be very 
interesting questions too, with very important an- 
swers : but, we have not time for them. 

Instead of that course, I propose the following: 
to remind you, as readers of the Scriptures, and in a 
summary way, of these great facts — that God magni- 
fied those parts of his word which were extant in the 
time of the Psalmist ; and afterward magnified the 
later books of the Old Testament ; and finally mag- 
nified the books of the New Testament, also, thus 
completing the whole canon of Scripture, by commit- 
ting to them certain Historical, truth, and Doc- 
trinal truth, and Legal truth, and Covenant 
truth, and Promissory and Prophetical truth, in- 
finitely transcending any thing elsewhere to be found 
in nature or society. 

First, as to the twelve books extant in the time of 
the Psalmist, and to which, of course, he alluded in 
the text. Of these, we have already sufficiently no- 
ticed Genesis and Exodus. 

Glance, then, at the Historical truth committed to 
the others. From Moses to David was an interval 
of some four hundred and fifty years. The history 
of this period is found in these books. " Leviticus," 
indeed, is chiefly occupied with laws. "Numbers" 
continues the history of the wanderings of the Desert : 



254 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

bringing the Tribes from Sinai to the land of Moab, 
and recording the transactions in the plains of Moab, 
until the appointment of Joshua as the successor of 
Moses, and the provision made for the partitioning 
of the Promised Land, when its conquest should be 
sufficiently completed. " Deuteronomy" repeats 
the history of the four preceding books, and exalts 
the whole idea of its importance. — Then, leaving the 
five books of Moses, we come to that of " Joshua f 9 
in which w r e find the history of the occupation of the 
Promised Land, its division, and the ratification of 
the Law at Ebal and Gerizim — with the last address 
of Joshua to the people, his death and burial. Next 
comes the book of " Judges," giving the history of 
the Israelites in the interim from the death of 
Joshua until the death of Samson, and near to the 
time of Eli and Samuel ; with all the vicissitudes 
of war and peace, conquest and captivity, under the 
twelve or thirteen Judges, when there was no king 
in Israel, and comparatively little authority was ex- 
ercised by any one : " every man," as it is written, 
doing " that which was right in his own eyes." Next 
comes that beautiful little gem of the Old Testament 
— that elegant and pathetic sketch of rural life — the 
book of "Ruth" — with its important genealogy of 
the house of David, Gentile as well as Jewish. 
Next come the two books of " Samuel," chiefly de- 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 255 

voted to the reigns of Saul and David; and the 
first book of " Chronicles," containing a sort of 
genealogical and historical review, from the creation 
to the commencement of the reign of Solomon. The 
book of " Job," probably, finds its origin somewhere 
during the production of the books already named; 
and the " Psalms," in part, occupy the same interval. 
These make twelve complete books, with a portion of 
the thirteenth — including the text. " Job" and the 
" Psalms," indeed, though comprising many historical 
facts, are mainly poetical compositions. Whoever shall 
reflect upon the historic range thus referred to, will 
soon be convinced that the truth thus recorded, not- 
withstanding its connection with many things at first 
sight of a merely national and transient character, is 
elevated into extraordinary, superhuman, and even 
Divine dignity, by its manifest close relation to the 
whole plan and progress of the world's redemption. 
It is this, which makes the great difference between 
this and all other history — as we shall see more 
clearly hereafter. 

Glance, next, at the Doctrinal truth committed to 
these books. Here, in addition to what has already 
been said, of both God and man, it is necessary only 
to refer to one grand point. I mean — the Mosaic 
Creed. This creed consisted of only one article — 
but that was infinitely sublime, all-comprehensive, 



256 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

and peculiarly distinctive — cutting off, at a stroke, in 
design, though not in actual practice, all communion 
of the Israelites, in religious matters at least, with 
the idolatrous nations around them. I allude, of 
course, to the proclamation made by Moses, to the 
Chosen People, as recorded in the sixth chapter of 
" Deuteronomy : " — "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our 
God is one Lord : " or, Hear, O Israel, Jehovah, our 
God, is one Jehovah! — This was the foundation 
doctrine of the Jewish Church — -just as one other ar- 
ticle is the foundation doctrine of the Christian 
Church : for it may be affirmed, with entire assur- 
ance of truth, that both these Churches are founded 
on creeds, consisting each of only one article, and 
that one is enough. How did God magnify His 
word above all His name? by enshrining within it 
forever the essential truth of the Unity of His Na- 
ture ! The untaught heathen collected the nation of 
many gods from the diverse forms and forces of the 
natural world ; and the Israelites might have done 
the same. Indeed, they did frequently yield to this 
notion, consenting to the idolatrous temptations and 
enchantments about them. But the challenge to the 
Chosen People was : Hear, O Israel, the Lord our 
God is one Lord ! — -just as the challenge might now be 
— Hear, O Christians ! Jesus is the Christ ; the Son 
of the living God ! Therefore said our Saviour, for 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 257 

this was all it was necessary to say — " Ye believe in 
God, believe also in me." As Jews, ye believe in 
God; now become Christians by believing in me. 

Glance, next, at the Legal truth embodied in these 
books. On a former occasion, we noticed the Moral 
law ; but now it is in place to remember, also, the 
Ceremonial and Civil laws. As to the Ceremonial law, 
that related to the Tabernacle, with its Holy and 
Most Holy Places, its Furniture, and Priesthood, and 
Sacrifices, and Offerings, all of which were important 
as preservatives against the false religions of the 
heathen nations ; and, moreover, symbolical of better 
things to come — the spiritual distinctions of the Gos- 
pel dispensation. By studying the Epistle to the 
Hebrews, in connection with the book of Leviticus, 
the spiritual significancy of the Mosaic ritual be- 
comes exceedingly plain and impressive. As to the 
Civil law, that maintained the most intimate relations 
to the Moral law, and seems, indeed, to have been de- 
signed to apply and enforce the Moral law, in all per- 
sonal, social, and national affairs. Its adaptations 
w r ere to a great extent local; and, of course, the 
whole system, as a literal formulary, like the Cere- 
monial law associated with it, was intended only for 
temporary prevalence. Still, this I presume may be 
affirmed, without the slightest hesitancy, that, for the 
time, there were no laws in the world, either Cere- 



258 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

monial or Civil, to compare with these for a moment. 
Their wisdom was manifestly Divine. 

Glance, also, at the Covenant truth recorded in 
these books. This is a highly interesting contempla- 
tion. For instance, the two covenants with Adam — 
first, the covenant of works, before the fall; and 
secondly the covenant of Grace, after the fall. As to 
the first, " The Lord God," as it is written, " took the 
man, and put him into the Garden of Eden, to dress 
it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded 
the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou 
may est freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge 
of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it ; for in the 
day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" — or — 
" dying thou shalt die " — that is, beginning to die 
thou shalt continue to die until the process of death 
is complete. As to the second, the covenant of Grace, 
that, of course, followed the fall, and is distinguished, 
chiefly, by the assurance that the Seed of the Woman 
should bruise the serpent's head — though with this is 
connected the painful doom of woman, and the toil- 
some doom of man — both, though seemingly severe, 
really gracious. Next comes the Covenant with 
Noah — when the Lord said, in his heart : — " I will 
not again curse the ground any more for man's sake ; 
for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his 
youth : neither will I again smite any more every 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 259 

living thing as I have done. "While the earth re- 
maineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, 
and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not 
cease." Then came the more extended and expressive 
annunciation of it, with the appointment of the Rain- 
bow Seal of it, sanctioning and sustaining it, forever. 

Next came the covenant with Abraham: as- 
suring him that his seed should be as numerous 
as the stars of heaven, and the, sands upon the sea- 
shore; that the land of Canaan should be given 
to his descendants in the line of Isaac, for a pos- 
session ; and that in his seed all the nations of the 
earth should be blessed. This, in various forms, but 
the same in substance, was several times repeated, and 
most solemnly confirmed. It was succeeded, also, by 
similar covenants with Isaac and Jacob, personally, 
and even with Judah, indirectly, in their day and 
generation. 

Next came the great National Covenant with 
Moses : set forth in the four last books of Moses, as 
well, indeed, as in the Old Testament generally : 
with all its sanctions, and all its rewards for the 
obedient, and all its punishments for the disobedient. 

Then, finally, so far as this present section of our 
subject is concerned, came the covenant with David, 
himself, the supposed author of the text. And, in- 
deed, it may be that the Psalmist has some reference, 

23 



260 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

in this Psalm, to this covenant: though it is more 
plainly alluded to elsewhere. In the 132d, for in- 
stance, it is said — " The Lord hath sworn in truth 
unto David, he will not turn from it : Of the fruit 
of thy body will I set upon thy throne. If thy 
children will keep my covenant, and my testimony that 
I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon 
thy throne, forevermore." 

These covenants, as we may see more fully here- 
after, reaching, as they do, from Adam to Noah, and 
from Noah to Abraham, and from Abraham to 
Moses, and from Moses to David, are altogether 
without parallel in any other history : and pre-emi- 
nently on this account, or for this reason, that they 
are all connected with the incomparable work of the 
world's redemption. They magnify the word of God 
above all His name. 

But, glance also at the Prophetic truth embodied 
in these books. The strength of this point is to be 
developed in another connection : but, even here, in 
view of the books extant in the time of David, it 
may be affirmed that God had wonderfully magnified 
His name by the prophetic truth entrusted to them. 
The Prophets predicted many things in relation to 
prominent persons, both of their own and of other 
times and countries ; and, in like manner, they fore- 
told the destinies of foreign nations, both near and 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 261 

remote — especially of those most adjacent to their own 
land, or most frequently brought in contact with their 
own people. But, as it was with the miracles of 
Christ, during his ministry on earth — miracles not 
constituting the object of His mission, but being 
merely incidental to His progress as He passed on 
toward the Cross, and the One Great Purpose of His 
Coming, the making of an atonement for the sins of 
the world by His sufferings and death : so with the 
Prophets — their predictions in relation to mere men, 
and their transient kingdoms, were only the incidents 
of their course — illustrations of the reality and power 
of their Divine inspiration, rather than the fulfilment 
of the One Grand and Distinctive Object of their 
Office. That Object was — to bear their testimony to 
the coming of Christ — to foreshow the advent and 
work of the Son of God and Saviour of the world. 
Therefore, it is written — that "the testimony of 
Christ is the spirit of prophecy ; " and again, that 
" to Him give all the prophets witness." Of course, 
even before David's time, as well as in his time, and, 
indeed, in part, by his own agency, as one of the 
prophets, Christ was foretold. The coming of Christ, 
indeed, was already the great burden of prophecy, 
and had been from the beginning of the world. The 
Patriarchal dispensation, as w r ell as the Mosaic, 
was full of types of Christ, and promises of Christ. 



262 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

Histories, Doctrines, Laws and Covenants, all had 
prophetic relations to Him. But, specific declarations 
were not wanting : some of them, indeed, not made 
by the prophets, but by the Lord himself. So to the 
Serpent — " He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt 
bruise his " heel" So to Abraham : " In thy Seed, 
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed ; because 
thou hast obeyed my voice." In other cases, human 
agents gave the utterance: So with Jacob, just before 
his death : — " The Sceptre shall not depart from 
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until 
Shiloh come ; and to Him shall the gathering of the 
people be." So with Moses — not long before his 
death — " The Lord said unto me, — I will raise them 
up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto 
thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he 
shall speak unto them all that I shall command 
him." So with David himself — or, rather, with 
the writer of the 2d Psalm, whoever he was — " Thou 
art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." And 
so with the 110th Psalm, which is ascribed to David, 
even by our Saviour himself: " The Lord said unto 
my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make 
thine enemies thy footstool." Such passages, taken 
together, and in their connection with the whole sys- 
tem of typical sacrifice and worship, were even then 
significant of the promised Redeemer. 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 263 

But now, see ! This is the way our argument runs 
— accumulating strength as it passes from point to 
point. If, in review of the Historical, truth, and 
Doctrinal truth, and Legal truth, and Covenant 
truth, and Prophetical truth, all connected with 
the great scheme of Redemption ; and all found in 
the twelve or thirteen books supposed to be extant in 
the time of our Psalmist, the author of the text, it 
was true and right to affirm, so solemnly and de- 
cisively, "Thou hast magnified thy word above all 
thy name :" what shall be said, in view of the fact, 
that, after this time, twenty-six other books were 
added to the canon of the Old Testament, and that, 
to all of them, God committed further revelations of 
truth, richer and richer, brighter and brighter, illum- 
inating with surpassing splendor the centuries herald- 
ing the advent of His Son. 

See ! Of these twenty-six additional books, six are 
Historical — viz : 1st and 2d Kings : 2d Chroni- 
cles: Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther: three are 
Poetical — Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song 
of Solomon : and seventeen are Prophetical — in- 
cluding the Major prophets from Isaiah to Daniel, 
and the Minor prophets, from Hosea to Malachi. 
And what now? Who can think of this varied, 
beautiful, and sublime range of inspiration, even for 
a moment, without being overpowered by the remem- 

23* 



264 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

brance of the grandeur of the truth committed to 
these books, and of the glorious manner in which 
God has thus magnified his word above all his name! 
Why the one book of Isaiah alone, would furnish 
themes for the eloquent and joyful expatiation of an 
angel for a thousand years. And then — to think of 
Daniel's succession of human kingdoms, and ulti- 
mate establishment of the Kingdom of God ! But, 
there is no time to dwell on any of these topics. 

Still the cumulative argument advances : for, if 
God so wonderfully magnified his word above all his 
name, by committing such truth as that to which I 
have alluded to the books of the Old Testament; 
then, again, what shall be said in regard to the fact, 
that, after this time also, — i. e., some four centuries 
later, twenty-seven other books, constituting the whole 
of the New Testament, w r ere added to the Old — so 
completing the entire canon of Sacred Scripture. And, 
such books! Not occupied by types and shadows, 
rites and ceremonies, brief promises and prophecies 
sometimes mystical or vague; not telling over and 
over again, from age to age, the old story, and 
the old hope, that the time was coming, when the 
Divine Redeemer, first declared in Eden, and after- 
ward waited for through thousands of slow-rolling 
years, should actually and personally come : but, an- 
nouncing, once and forever, the good news, the glad 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 265 

tidings, the transcendent and omnipotent verity, that 
He has come ! the four great witnesses, Matthew, 
Mark, Luke, and John, turning toward the four 
quarters of the world, and, like the North wind, and 
the South wind, and the East wind, and the West 
wind, with all their gales and thunders blowing their 
angel trumpets, as though just handed down to them 
from the throne of God, startling the poles and shak- 
ing the equator with the indubitable demonstrations 
of the visible, audible, palpable presence, and minis- 
try, wisdom and power, grace and glory, of the Only- 
Begotten and Dearly Beloved Son of the Highest ; 
Eve's Comfort, Abraham's Seed, Jacob's Shiloh, 
David's Heir, Isaiah's Prince of Peace, Jeremiah's 
Lord our Righteousness, and Haggai's Desire of all 
Nations, the One Peerless Object of the Whole 
World's Hope — working miracles, preaching and 
teaching, eating and drinking, sleeping and waking, 
journeying and resting, humbling Himself to the 
lowest, forgiving the vilest, cherishing the poorest, 
exalting the most abased, and passing steadily on to 
the grand consummation, for which he left the Bosom 
of His Father and the Palace of the Universe, even 
to the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Cross of Cal- 
vary, and the Tomb of the Arimathean, and the 
Summit of Olivet, that He might agonize for us, and 
die for us, and be buried for us, and rise again for us, 



266 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

and ascend to heaven for us, and take His place 
at the right hand of the Father again for us, " ever 
living to make intercession for us/' and so promote 
our final, and perfect, and everlasting triumph, over 
all our adversaries, and over all our adversities, in 
the inheritance of the blissful kingdom that shall 
never pass away. Eighteen hundred years have 
gone by, and still there is no music in any wind of 
heaven, like the music of the Gospel of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. And not only do Matthew, 
and Maek, and Luke, and John, rehearse this 
music still, but Paul, and Peter, and James, and 
Jude, take part with them, and the whole 

" Sacramental host of God's elect," 
Ministers and people, men, women, and children, the 
possessors of the fruits of the oldest Civilizations in 
the World, and the New Tribes, just converted from 
the abominations of the most degraded barbarism, and 
cleansed and clothed, and adorned, and sanctified, and 
saved, and made instruments of salvation to others, 
by the agency of the Spirit and Truth of Jehovah, 
unite in the hosannas and hallelujahs that hail, and 
welcome, and bless, and celebrate, and in every way 
magnify the first advent of the Mediator ; and, also, 
still further unite in the waiting, and watching, and 
wishing, and praying, for His second advent — the 
Only Hope now left to our poor, deceived, disap- 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 267 

pointed, and almost ruined and despairing world — 
evermore responding to His own most gracious as- 
surance — " Behold ! I come quickly ! " — with the 
ready, and instant, and common, and happy acclaim, 
" Even so — Come, Lord Jesus ! " 

"Come, then, and added to Thy many crowns, 
Receive one more, the crown of all the earth, 
Thou who alone art worthy." — So shall it be — 

" One song employ all nations, and all cry, 
Worthy the Lamb, for He was slain for us ! 
The dwellers in the vales, and on the rocks, 
Shout to each other, and the mountain tops, 
From distant mountains, catch the flying joy, 
Till, nation after nation taught the strain, 
Earth rolls the rapturous hosanna round ! " 

And what now ? If it be true, that God has thus 
magnified his word above all his name during the 
last three thousand years, and does so magnify it at 
this very moment ; is there not an irresistible logic 
in the inference that He will continue to magnify it 
even unto the end? — not now, indeed, by adding 
other books to the sixty-six already in existence, but, 
in causing these, just as they stand, to triumph over 
all opposition? 

What does He himself say, in regard to this ? I 
wish I had time to answer fully — but, without time 
for this, I must nevertheless give some answer. 

What does God say of Himself? Hark!— " The 



268 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

Loed said to Moses, I am that I am." Again, in 
various places : " Beside me, there is no God, I know 
not any." " Before me, there was no God formed." 
" I am God, there is no God with me." Therefore, 
the precept against idolatry — " Thou shalt know no 
God but me." It is the consciousness of Divine All- 
ness, of Infinite Comprehensiveness and Exclusive- 
ness, that thus speaks out of its own Essential and 
Eternal Solitude. Can any man believe that there 
is any other God than this God ; or that any kind of 
opposition can ever make Him less than God, or pre- 
vent the fulfilment of His designs as God? As sure 
as He is God, must He not triumph over all oppo- 
sition ? 

Of His character as King, it is said: — "The 
Lord is King, forever and ever" So in many other 
passages. 

Of His Throne, in like manner, it is said : — " Thy 
throne, O God, is forever and ever" So in other 
passages. 

Of His Reign, it is said : " The Lord shall reign, 
forever and ever" So in other passages. 

Of His Kingdom it is said : — " Thy kingdom is an 
everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth 
throughout all generations" So in other passages. 

So, in particular, of His Truth it is said — " His 
truth endureth to all generations " And again : "The 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 269 

truth of the Lord endureth forever." And again : 
" Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his 
help, whose hope is in the Lord his God; which 
made heaven and earth, the sea and all that therein 
is; which heepeth truth forever" — And so, in other 
passages. 

So, still more particularly, of His Word, as the 
embodiment of His truth. " The voice said, Cry. And 
he said, What shall I cry ? All flesh is grass, and 
all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. 
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth," " but — the 
word of our God shall stand forever." And so, again, 
"Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." 
And again, "Thy word is true from the beginning, 
and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth 
forever." So in other passages. 

So, still more particularly, of His law — as one 
from His word. "Think not" — said our Saviour 
Himself — " that I am come to destroy the law, or the 
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 
For, verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth 
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from 
the law, till all be fulfilled." 

So, of His covenants — as constituting another form 
of His word. For instance, in that with Noah, the 
Lord said — "And the bow shall be in the cloud ; and 
I will look upon it, that I may remember the ever- 



270 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

lasting covenant between God and every living crea- 
ture of all flesh that is upon the earth. " As Jong as 
you see the Rainbow no fear of this covenant. So 
with the Abrahamic covenant : " God said, Sarah 
thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed ; and thou shalt 
call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant 
w r ith him for an everlasting covenant, and with his 
seed after him." As long as you see a Jew, no fear 
of this. So with the Covenant with David. " My 
covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that 
is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my 
holiness, that I will not lie unto David. His seed 
shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before 
me. It shall be established forever as the moon, and 
as a faithful witness in heaven." As long as Psalms 
are read and sung, no fear of this. Jeremiah seems to 
allude to this, when he says, — " Thus saith the Lord, 
If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my 
covenant of the night, and that there should not be 
day and night in their season, then may also my cov- 
enant be broken with David my servant, that he 
should not have a son to reign upon his throne." As 
long as you see day and night, no fear of this. So with 
Isaiah, looking more plainly forward to the Chris- 
tian Dispensation, and the ingathering of the Gen- 
tiles under it — " Incline your ear and come unto me, 
hear and your soul shall live ; and I will make an 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 271 

everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies 
of David. Behold, I have given him" (or his 
Greater Seed) " for a witness to the people, a leader 
and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt 
call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that 
knew not thee shall run unto thee; because of the 
Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for 
he hath glorified thee." As long as missions prosper, 
no fear of this. And so, once more, of the New cov- 
enant, as announced in that beautiful benediction, at 
the close of the Epistle to the Hebrews: "Now 
the God of peace, that brought again from the dead 
our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the Sheep, 
through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you 
perfect in every good work to do his will, working in 
you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through 
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. 
Amen." As long as the blood of Christ is better 
than that of Abel, and of the Law, no fear of this. 

In like manner, I might speak again of the 
Prophecies — as another form of His word. For in- 
stance, when the Israelites doubted the Divine 
promise in the wilderness, " The Lord said unto 
Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short ? thou shalt 
see now, whether my word shall come to pass unto 
thee or not" And, of course, it did come to pass. — 
So, even in the mouth of Balaam, the Lord put 

24 



272 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

the message to Balak — " God is not a man that he 
should lie ; neither the son of man that he should 
repent ; hath he said, and shall he not do it ? or hath 
he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" — So, 
when Solomon blessed the people, at the dedication 
of the temple, he lifted up his voice, and added — 
" Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his 
people Israel, according to all that he promised: there 
hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which 
he promised by the hand of Moses his servant." — 
So, but more generally, said our Saviour — "The 
Scriptures must be fulfilled" And again : — " All 
things must be fulfilled, which were written in the 
law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the 
Psalms, concerning me" And again — " The Scrip- 
ture cannot be broken" And again — for His own 
words in particular — " Heaven and earth shall pass 
away, but my words shall not pass away ; " and all 
are His words. As long as heaven and earth stand, 
there need be no fear of this. 

And what now ? Is not all— forever f Certainly, 
according to its own testimony, the Bible is all forever ! 
Its History is history forever : its Doctrine is doctrine 
forever : its Law is law forever : its Covenants are 
covenants forever : and its Promises and Prophecies 
are Promises and Prophecies for ever. Is there any 
other Book with such Records as these ? or with such 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 273 

Claims as these ? Is there even a pretence to any- 
thing of the kind, in all the world ? Surely, God 
has magnified His word above all His name ! 

But, what does the Word itself say, in relation to 
its triumph over all opposition ? its final and perpetual 
success f I wish I could tell you a hundredth part of 
what it says ! But, is it not in your own hands ? Is 
it not open before your own eyes ? Does it not con- 
stantly appeal to your own mind, and heart, and 
conscience ? 

Hark ! — the Voice and Harp of the Sweet Singer 
of Israel : — " All the ends of the world shall remem- 
ber and turn unto the Lord ; and all the kindreds of 
the nations shall worship before thee. For the king- 
dom is the Lord's, and he is the governor among the 
nations ! " And again — " O let the nations be glad 
and sing for joy, for thou shalt judge the people 
righteously, and govern the nations upon earth ! Let 
the people praise thee, O Lord : yea, let all the peo- 
ple praise thee ! " And again : " Blessed be the Lord 
God, the God of Israel ; who only doeth wondrous 
things. And blessed be his glorious name forever : 
and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. 
Amen and amen." The prayers of David, the son of 
Jesse, are ended. — Beautiful ending : like that of the 
Prophet of the Apocalypse — " Even so : Come, Lord 
Jesus ! " 



274 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

But, hearken — to the Silver Trumpet of Isaiah, 
also. " The earth shall be full of the knowledge of 
the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" — or, rather, as 
they cover the deep — the great and mighty deep — 
with all its profound plateaus, and profounder ravines, 
deeper and still deeper, but little by little, covered 
over, filled in, and smoothly filled up, and then 
rolled into tide- waves, blown into billows, and cast 
like a world -full of breakers on a thousand rock- 
bound shores. So, the knowledge of the Lord shall 
fill up, and overflow the earth. 

Hearken also to the glad response of Zechabiah 
— " The Lord shall be king over all the earth : in 
that day, shall there be one Lord, and his name 
One." 

Hearken to Habakkuk, also, in the same words 
as Isaiah — " For the earth shall be filled with the 
knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters 
cover the sea." 



PAET III. 

But, "what is the present state of this opposition ? 
So long a time has elapsed since the preceding ser- 
mons were prepared, and so much delay has occurred 
in their appearance, that, notwithstanding the best 
recent revision which has been given them, I am 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 275 

anxious, in this new composition, completing the 
series, to conduct the record of facts as near as prac- 
ticable to this date (1864), that it may be more ex- 
actly evident what hostilities are yet to be met, and 
what may be expected in the process of Bible con- 
quests. 

First, therefore, I invite attention to the following 
condensed classified survey of the greater part of the 
world — a careful abstract from the latest Reports 
of the British and Foreign, and American, Bible 
Societies. 

I. PRESENT STATE OF PAGAN OPPOSITION. 

1. China. Opposition to the Bible, in that great 
empire, is modified by the Civil War, and the com- 
plications of the government with foreign nations. 
Christianity finds freer access than formerly. Still, 
allusions are made to the — "stiff and ignorant preju- 
dices of those in authority" — to the " contempt and 
scorn " of the learned men — and to the " extreme in- 
difference" of the people. It is said, that — "the 
Atheism, the Materialism, the Apathy of the Chinese 
mind in regard to religion, coupled with its intense 
ignorance, peculiar exclusiveness, and Satanic preju- 
dices on the subject, are more and more felt to be 
terrible difficulties in the way of our success. They 
are all in active exercise on every side, and are the 

24* 



276 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

better understood the closer we come in contact with 
them." The colporteurs are represented as " exposed 
to the full brunt of argument, ridicule and scorn, at 
the hands of those they meet." In some cases, the 
Book is abused or destroyed, its distributors arrested 
by jealous officials, and the few disciples subjected to 
severe persecution. Notwithstanding such facts, how- 
ever, the Agents report various encouragements, and 
seem to be cheerful in prospect of favorable changes. 
2. Japan. Here the opposition is described thus : 
"The jealousy of the Japanese is on the alert in 
reference to efforts for the introduction of Chris- 
tianity ; and as the Missionaries are confined by the 
authorities within very narrow limits, the opportuni- 
ties of circulating even the Chinese Scriptures, which 
can be read by the better educated classes, are com- 
paratively few. Efforts to disseminate the Scriptures 
in Japanese would, it is feared, call forth decidedly 
hostile action on the part of the government." When 
the Japanese Ambassadors were in Washington, it 
was proposed to supply them with the Scriptures — 
but the gift was declined. It seems that, more re- 
cently, while the Ambassadors were in England, the 
British and Foreign Bible Society made a similar 
effort, and with the same result. " Three copies of 
the Chinese Bible were specially prepared for pres- 
entation" to them, and "transmitted to their Excel- 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 277 

lencies, accompanied by a suitable address on behalf 
of the Society. Immediately, however, before they 
quitted England, the copies were sent back, with po- 
lite acknowledgments, and the intimation that the re- 
tention of the gift might involve these functionaries 
in a misunderstanding with the Government on their 
return to Japan." 

3. India. There, opposition is indicated by refer- 
ence to — " prejudice, stern and bitter" — to "fatalism 
and infidel philosophy," as abounding, and enchain- 
ing " The intellect of multitudes " — and, to " the po- 
tency of caste," as presenting " a formidable barrier 
against the reception of the humbling doctrines of 
the Cross." Allusion is made, also, to " heathen 
vices," to "ignorance, superstition, ancestral cus- 
toms " and " pharisaic pride." There too the Colpor- 
teurs occasionally meet " violent" repulsions, and are 
"laughed at as engaged in a hopeless enterprise." 
New converts have to endure "household" persecu- 
tion, holiness and humility are assailed with " hatred 
and scorn," and " pantheistic theories and diabolical 
idolatries" are wielded against the Word of God. 

4. Other Sections. In Malaysia, the majority 
are said to be " sunk in ignorance and wretchedness." 
In Australia, the reports refer to the Colonists rather 
than the natives. In New Zealand, the War is a 
difficulty. In the South Seas, at Tauna and Error- 



278 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

manga, the savages are in arms against the Mission- 
aries. In the Mauritius' the Brahmins are trying to 
" cheek the spread of Divine truth" by temples and 
schools of idolatry. In Madagascar, the terrible 
persecutions were closed by the advent of the new king 
— though much slumbering or suppressed heathen 
hatred is supposed to exist still. In South Africa, 
the " unhappy effects" of Bishop Colenso's move- 
ments are noticed — " the recent notorious attempt to 
invalidate the historical truth of the Pentateuch, and 
so to shake all faith in Divine Revelation." And so 
the sketches of Paganism are concluded. Let us 
turn, therefore, to : — 

II. THE PRESENT STATE OF MOHAMMEDAN 
OPPOSITION. 

" The work among the Mohammedans is not with- 
out interest, even in these days of severe animadver- 
sion and criticism from some of the highest officials 
of the Gbvernment." " The cause has to contend with 
differences of faith, nationality, and language, as well 
as with the Oriental custom of female seclusion, which 
renders access to the family circle almost impossible." 
In Algiers, the authorities forbade the circulation of 
the Bible, and "put its Colporteur on a level with 
criminals;" but, afterward, the circulation was al- 
lowed, except of copies in the Arabic language. So 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 279 

some generosity was assumed, while the False Sys- 
tem remained well guarded. " Bigotry and fanati- 
cism" are represented as "characteristic of Moham- 
medans;" with "intense prejudices — against the Gos- 
pel." In the "interior parts of Arabia," especially, 
"Mohammedan fanaticism runs high." An Agent 
was desirous of venturing to " Mekka, itself; but he 
was prevented doing so by the British Consul, who, 
in explanation, assured him that certain death would 
await him, if he entered the ' holy city of the Mo- 
hammedans ' as a Christian." Arabia, indeed, is 
described, as " that country of the world, which, all 
things considered, is probably least accessible to a 
Christian agency." From these partial glimpses, of 
Mohammedanism let us now pass to : — 

III. THE PBESENT STATE OF JEWISH OPPOSITION. 

Here, however, there is a lack of material. Occa- 
sionally, a case is mentioned, like that in which a 
dying Jew forced his daughter to " promise never to 
enter upon any conversation, or read any book, relating 
to Jesus." But, strange to say, the Jewish cases, in 
most instances, are those of submission rather than 
of opposition. Indeed, it is not in Paganism, Mo- 
hammedanism, or Judaism, separately or jointly, that 
the chief opposition to the Bible is found, but, within 
the limits of nominal Christianity. We must pro- 



280 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

ceed, therefore, to such notices as occur of opposition 
by the Greek and other Oriental Churches ; by the 
Roman Catholic Church ; by the States with which 
these Churches are connected, and which, in this rela- 
tion, they seem to control ; and, finally, by certain 
forms of Protestantism itself. 

IV. THE PKESENT STATE OF NOMINALLY CHRISTIAN 
OPPOSITION. 

In the Armenian districts of Asia Minor, " great 
opposition" has been met, with "threats to kill" the 
Bible readers, and "terrible persecution" only falling 
short of murder : though some improvement begins 
to appear. In Egypt, " the great stumbling-block in 
the way of doing good" — even to the Mohammedans 
— " is the Coptic Church ; " the members of which 
have not " the means, at present, of knowing what 
true Christianity is." In Eastern Turkey, allusion 
is made to the " thick darkness which for so many 
centuries has been brooding over (the) land." Among 
the Armenians, " the universal inability to read is a 
serious obstacle." "The ignorance and mercenary 
character of the Ecclesiastics is another serious ob- 
stacle. A priest who was "questioned as to his 
knowledge of the Scriptures, could not tell a single 
command of the Decalogue." "The most trying 
hinderance to the introduction of the Bible is found 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 281 

in the opposition of the priesthood. In one case, a 
vartebad (or monk) sought an opportunity to assassin- 
ate a Bible distributor." In Georgia, also, the con- 
verted Armenians are greatly persecuted by the Old 
Orthodox Church. 

The Greek Church, as so much mightier, is al- 
luded to more frequently. In Russia, the inability 
to read, among the serfs, is still a difficulty — though 
emancipation is likely to be followed by education. 
In the Southern Provinces, Government restrictions 
are in the way. " Prevailing distress and religious 
apathy," also, • are impediments. In Bulgaria, the 
ignorance of priests and people is the great obstacle. 
In Greece, the "superstition — bigotry — abuses and 
errors" of the establishment are referred to. In the 
island of Crete (or Candia), the Metropolitan would 
not allow the school-teachers even to accept the Scrip- 
tures as a gift. The hostility of the Patriarch of 
Constantinople, joined to that of the Metropolitan, is 
represented as very injurious; more than counter- 
balancing the liberal policy of the Government — the 
State, in such cases, being manifestly overruled by 
the Church. In Servia, and especially at Belgrade, 
the Greek archbishop, and others like him, are re- 
ported as having "endeavored to crush the opera- 
tions" of the Society. 

But, after all, as would be expected, the chief 



282 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE ' "* 

opponent, every where, is the Roman Catholic Church. 
Even in our own country this is evident — though the 
reports are very defective. In Michigan, for instance, 
of 251 Romanist families visited, only 56 had courage 
to receive the Bible. In Minnesota, the priests re- 
fuse the privilege of reading it, and will not hear 
confessions of those who do read it. In Rhode 
Island, of 1754 destitute families, more than 1100, 
as Romanists, declined the Bible. In our army, the 
prohibition of the priests is a restraint upon the 
Catholic soldiers. In Mexico, Bible circulation has 
been stopped by the war w T ith the French. There, 
however, it has been " always resisted — by the domi- 
nant influence of the Romish priesthood, which holds 
the people in abject bondage." In Brazil, the arch- 
bishop suspended the sale — though it was afterward 
resumed. In South America generally, allusion is 
made to the "sad degradation" consequent on "the 
rankest superstitions of Rome" — the "dark systems 
of error which have so long crushed the energies and 
demoralized the population of one of the finest regions 
in the world." In Buenos Ayres, " Popish fanati- 
cism" is said to be less " rampant" — than in the other 
Republics of South America. Chili is described as 
having "an intensely Popish character." In New 
Granada, mention is made of "the supremacy of 
Jesuitical intrigues." In the West Indies, the chief 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 283 

difficulties arise from ignorance and poverty, with oc- 
casional Romish interference. In Dominica, the Ro- 
mish Prelate has " publicly denounced the action " of 
the Bible Society. Coming North again, in Canada 
we read of " the cruel tyranny of the Romish Priest- 
hood, who are determined, if it can be done, that the 
Bible shall have no currency amongst the members 
of their flocks, and are ceaseless in their inquiries to 
ascertain where the Scriptures have been received." 
" Striking facts are mentioned, showing the wretched 
spiritual thraldom in which the people are held, and 
the dread entertained of priestly anathema." A Col- 
porteur states that " the Cur6 tells the people they will 
be lost if they read (the books), and that it is not 
right even to touch them. Accordingly the Cure 
tries to burn or to destroy the Scriptures." In some 
cases, they have been seized and burnt. Crossing the 
Atlantic, we find such statements as the following. 
In France, " the Bible is branded (by the Romish 
Priesthood) as the symbol of anarchy and misfortune, 
and the offer of it through the agency (of the Bible 
Society) has been resolutely declined by those who 
are taught that the admission of it into their dwell- 
ings would be a fruitful source of misery, and entail 
upon them the dreaded anathema of the Church." 
" The blind partisans of the temporal power of the 
Papacy — have represented to those w T ho will still lis- 

25 



284 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

ten to them, that those falsified Bibles and Testa- 
ments, as they are pleased to designate our copies of 
the Scriptures, are circulated with no other object 
than to dethrone the Holy Father, and with him to 
destroy the Catholic, Apostolic, Roman religion ; that 
those so-called Bible Colporteurs are nothing better 
than the Socialists, without faith and without law, 
who are in the pay of foreign Protestant nations, and 
with whom, in view of the Government of France, 
it is most perilous to enter into connection." So 
strong is this opposition, especially as added to the 
commercial distress, that, in certain parts of the 
country, the prosecution of the Bible work has been 
rendered absolutely impossible. There is a Protest- 
ant Bible Society in Paris, authorized by the Govern- 
ment, but only on condition that it should not operate 
among Roman Catholics ! Another Society, independ- 
ent of the Government, is in existence, but too weak 
to do much. In one of the Northern Departments, 
a Cur6 bought up and collected all the copies he could 
get, and burned them in a large fire. In Belgium, 
which is described as "one of the most intensely 
Popish and bigoted lands of the Continent," the Ro- 
mish opposition appears to be still greater. It is 
styled " active and persevering hostility." — In some 
of the provinces, the priests threaten those who have 
purchased a Testament, and do not burn it, with not 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 285 

being allowed to confess, and with " eternal damnation." 
In some cases, they " go from house to house to take 
away the Testaments." One Colporteur says — " I do 
not think there is in Europe a country so full of 
darkness, and where the clergy have such power." — 
Even in Holland, in some districts where Romanists 
reside, they oppose the "diffusion of the Scriptures," 
and resort to acts of cruelty as the most summary 
method of carrying out their designs — stoning the 
Colporteurs — cursing and scoffing at them — denying 
them accommodations — threatening to kill them. In 
Volkenburg, it is said, "the priests are continually 
visiting the houses in search of our books ; if they 
find any they take them away and burn them." In 
Germany, again, we find "the priests denouncing the 
books, and warning the people against buying them :" 
occasionally buying them up, themselves, and burn- 
ing them. In Austria, especially, the opposition, 
even on the part of the Government, continues unre- 
lenting. There, is another instance of the Church 
overruling the State — Civil opposition prompted by 
Ecclesiastical. It is reported that "every effort to 
induce the Government formally to allow the intro- 
duction of the Bible has had no effect." The Agent 
" has repeatedly visited Vienna, and had interviews 
with official persons," but, " it would seem as if the 
Bible must be as rigorously shut out of Austria as 



286 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

ever." Even the privilege of distribution among 
the Protestants of the empire is withheld : " a cruel 
wrong," as it is justly styled. In 1861, the Govern- 
ment issued a decree promising better things ; but it 
appears that the Church has restrained the Govern- 
ment. The question is very properly asked: "Is 
the Government not strong enough to carry out its 
own plans ; is it obliged to bend to the dictates of a 
hierarchy which has always opposed the dissemination 
of the Scriptures ? " In Spain and Portugal, matters 
are still worse. Of the former, the Report says : 
"Spain, ever the abject vassal of the Papacy, still re- 
tains her intense aversion to the Bible and Protest- 
antism, and will relax none of the penal restrictions 
which forbid the circulation of the Scriptures amongst 
her subjects. The indignant protest which has been 
uttered by Protestant Europe, against the atrocities 
perpetrated of late by Spain, in the dishonored name 
of religion, has had no effect in mitigating the relent- 
less cruelty with which the Government persecutes 
the noble men, who will brave loss of liberty rather 
than abjure the Bible." The Report well stigmatises 
the whole process as " a revival of the old spirit of 
the Inquisition, which revelled in cruelties and hor- 
rors, the recollection of which makes the boldest 
heart shudder." For the present, therefore, Bible 
operations in Spain " are impracticable." It is added : 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 287 

" Indeed — there is reason to believe that a more rig- 
orous surveillance than ever is practiced to shut out 
the Scriptures, and that a Secret Society has been 
formed amongst the most bigoted Romanists, with a 
view of aiding the police in detecting those who are 
suspected of leanings toward Protestantism." So 
much for Spain. That is another State overruled by 
the Church. So, if possible, Rome would overrule 
all States. As to Portugal, that is represented as 
" likewise closed against the entrance of the Bible" — 
but, still, as in a more hopeful condition than Spain. 
In Italy it is observed that there "are retarding 
causes still operating with prodigious force, in many 
parts, which cannot fail to have an adverse influence 
on the circulation of the Scriptures. In some dis- 
tricts, the power of the priests is supreme, and the 
people are held in a state of profound and abject sub- 
mission to the ecclesiastical despotism which has so 
long ruled with irresistible sway. The dread of 
priestly power and anathema deters many a timid 
spirit from any attempt to burst the shackles, which 
Popery ever seeks to impose upon its deluded vic- 
tims ; and the fear of the consequences which might 
result from reading the Scriptures, on the fact be- 
coming known to the priest, often leads to a rejection 
of the Sacred Volume even when there, is a strong 
desire to possess it." Ignorance also is a great diffi- 

25* 



288 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

culty. Large masses, in both town and country, are 
unable even to read. Political excitement, also, is an 
obstacle ; and likely to continue so at least, until the 
city of Rome be secured as the capital of the King- 
dom. In Milan, Genoa, Florence, Bologna and 
Naples, the opposition of the priests is mentioned. 
Bologna, in particular, is described as " one of the 
strongholds of the Papacy, where priestly influence 
has long been in the ascendant. Every effort to 
spread the truth here has encountered fierce hostility." 
In Sicily, it is said the majority of the people "are 
too blindly. attached to Romish superstition to give 
much heed to the teachings of the Bible." Proceed- 
ing to Malta, the same adversary appears again. 
" The strict surveillance exercised by the priests has 
a tendency to check any effort on the part of the peo- 
ple to obtain possession of the Scriptures." This 
influence follows them abroad. At Tunis, on the 
African coast, it is said of the Maltese, that "they 
spend their days in the most profound ignorance, 
manifest the same blind and servile submission to 
their spiritual guides, and are as difficult to be ap- 
proached by Protestant truth as when in their native 
island of Malta." In Turkey, we meet again the 
open opposition of the Roman Clergy. And now, 
sweeping away with the Reports to the South Seas, 
we find in the Georgia Islands "the seductive influ- 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 289 

ences and the superstitious charms of Popish error — 
seeking to plant its standard on the spots where pure 
Christianity has achieved such glorious triumphs." 
In the Fiji Islands, also, we are told that " Popery is 
making special efforts among these people, and it 
gains a few converts from us, but mainly such as are 
noted for being troublesome ; and some from heathen- 
ism, in various parts of this extensive group of is- 
lands." In the Mauritius, also, the Romanists are 
active ; and in Madagascar it is said that " unscrupu- 
lous intrigues " have been used, though vainly, to in- 
fluence the king "in favor of Popery;" while other 
efforts have been made "to foster the suspicion in the 
minds of the people, that the Protestant Missionaries 
are giving them a mutilated and imperfect Bible," 
well knowing that the entire Scriptures, if placed in 
their hands, would demonstrate the Divine authority 
of the Papacy. In West Africa, also, particularly 
at Fernando Po, the Protestant Missionary has been 
excluded by the intolerance of the Spanish Govern- 
ment ; there, as at home, the mere tool of the priests. 
So much for Romanism. If it had been the main 
object of the Reports to illustrate the range of this 
opposition, doubtless they would have multiplied in- 
stances in connexion with all parts of the globe — Pa- 
gan, Mohammedan, Jewish and Christian, and every 
point of contact within every part. Popery and the 



290 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

Bible are the same everywhere, and must contend 
until one shall conquer. Even in the island of Cey- 
lon, where violent heathen opposition is now rarely 
encountered, it is said — " Whenever hostility is ex- 
perienced, it is manifested by the priests and ad- 
herents of the Church of Rome, who seek to preju- 
dice the minds of the people against the reception 
and reading of the Word of God." So in China, 
" the Romish Propaganda is seeking to establish its 
mission on a scale of imposing grandeur, and is set- 
ting up claims which, if admitted, will invest it with 
large resources and extended influence." As a Pro- 
testant superintendent of Colportage remarks : " The 
spread of Roman Catholic dogmas is perplexing the 
minds of many, without satisfying them." It is 
stated, that, " to the present time, no Protestant Mis- 
sionary has been permitted to reside at the Capital 
(Pekin), with a view to the active prosecution of his 
Christian labors, amongst the teeming population. 
In this respect, an obvious advantage has been secured 
by the Roman Catholic priests, who are freely toler- 
ated in their work, by express stipulations, contracted 
through the Representative of the French Govern- 
ment." See that, again ! 

But, what is to be said of the Protestant Churches? 
In our former review of Ecclesiastical Opposition, 
these Churches were found to be somewhat inconsist- 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 291 

ently involved. Are there any traces in the Eeports 
of such opposition now ? Not many. Had it been 
the object of the Reporters to ascertain more, doubt- 
less they might have done it. In Germany, it ap- 
pears, — " considerable opposition has arisen of late on 
account of the omission of the Apocrypha" — so re- 
tarding the sales. On this account, also, some of the 
German Bible Societies have ceased from " intimate 
co-operation" with the British and Foreign Bible 
Society. So in Holland, " the opposition thrown in 
the way by superstition" is noticed. By the State- 
Church party, or the Rationalists connected with it, 
the Bible Society is " violently opposed ; " its work 
being regarded as a wanton outrage against the Sov- 
ereign authority of the Church. The Schools, " sus- 
tained by the Government — deny all entrance to the 
Bible, and abjure the religious element in the educa- 
tion that is imparted." In Norway, allusion is made 
to " the enemies of the great and precious truth, that 
Jesus alone is our righteousness : " enemies who 
would rejoice in the discontinuance of Bible distri- 
bution. In England, itself, references are made to 
certain " vexatious controversies " and " ecclesiastical 
discussions," which it was feared would " seriously 
interfere" with the work, but which appear to have 
passed so far without doing much harm. Such, only, 
are the current allusions to anything in the way of 



292 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

Protestant opposition to the Bible. As already in- 
timated, much more than this might be said. 

Other forms of opposition, or obstruction, are occa- 
sionally introduced; as ignorance, inability to read, 
poverty, infidelity, &c. But, as the most of these 
have already incidentally been mentioned, it is enough 
to add a few words here in relation to the last — infi- 
delity. The American Report refers to some of our 
own States, in which both the old skepticisms and 
the new form of spiritualism are frequently met. In 
Michigan, it is said that "the Bible is gaining 
largely upon skepticism." Still, there is much hos- 
tility. Those who were most violent against the 
Bible called themselves spiritualists. One man 
" burned his wife's Bible;" another " refused to let 
his dying wife have the Bible in her possession." It 
is said that " at New Ulm — in Brown County — Min- 
nesota : practical atheism characterized the people ; 
and it has pleased God, by the hands of savages, to 
blot out that place as thoroughly as He did Sodom 
and Gomorrah." Leaving our own country again, we 
observe, in Holland, " the increased spirit of infi- 
delity, which prevails throughout the country : " the 
fact that "the mission of the Bible — is by many 
rudely and ignorantly scoffed at, as an impotent cru- 
sade against the increasing enlightenment of a philo- 
sophic age ; " and the statement that " the spirit of 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 293 

infidelity is still in the ascendant, and spreading its 
blight over the professed Protestant Church." In 
Germany, in one case, the Colporteur was told : " The 
man who believes the Bible is two centuries behind 
the age." In another, — " the Bible was pronounced 
to be false, and the reading of it an absurdity." The 
condition of the German Protestants in the Danubian 
Provinces of Turkey is alluded to, as one of " de- 
plorable practical infidelity and heathenism." In 
England, " while some were looking at the books, 
and seemed disposed to buy, one man remarked that 
it was of no use to ask him to buy, as he did not be- 
lieve in the Bible ; nor in the existence of God or 
devil, heaven or hell." (This man, however, was 
soon after converted.) In South Africa, "reference 
is made to the unhappy effects produced by the re- 
cent notorious attempt to invalidate the historical 
truth of the Pentateuch, and so to shake all faith in 
Divine Revelation;" — that is, the foolish Colenso 
assault upon the Bible. 

Such then is this opposition, so far as it came with- 
in the province and thought of the American, and 
British and foreign, Bible Societies, in their most re- 
cent Reports, to specify and illustrate it. At least, it 
is sufficient to give us a passing glimpse of both the 
massed and scattered foes of the Bible in all parts of 
the world. This opposition, whether of Pagans, Mo- 



294 THE TRIUMPH OF THE BIBLE 

hammedans, Jews, or merely nominal or heretical 
Christians, is all to be overcome. 

Before quitting these peaceful Keports of Religious 
and Benevolent Institutions, it may not be without 
some suggestive interest to observe to how great an 
extent war-terms are used by them in describing the 
progress of their Bible work. Thus, on one hand, 
we have " the power and device of the adversary ; " 
the " difficulties to be combatted, prejudice and 
bigotry to be assailed ; and hostility and resistance 
encountered ; " the " enemies now commenced a differ- 
ent mode of attack ; " and they " fought furiously to 
the last, and ceased only when tired and conquered." 
On the other hand, we find such phrases as these : — 
the "Conquests of Truth;" the "defeat" of the 
Priests; "Divine truth has vanquished it (i.e. preju- 
dice), and can vanquish it again ;" and " marvellous 
has been the triumph of God's Word." In con- 
nexion with India, the Society, it is said, does not 
despair of "ultimate triumph in the East." And 
again : " No cause can so well aiford to abide its 
time ; no cause is so sure of perfect victory." Mean- 
time, " the Word of God is the only effectual weapon 
to wield " in this great war. 

So it is — a universal and perpetual war; a war 
that must continue until the Rebellion of the World 
is subdued, and " the kingdoms of this world are be- 



OVER ALL OPPOSITION. 295 

come the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ ; 
and he shall reign forever and ever." 

ADDITIONAL INDICATIONS OF PEESENT OPPOSITION. 

The foregoing abstract, as already variously inti- 
mated, is of necessity very defective — because of the 
character of the documents from which it has been 
made. An exhaustive treatment of the subject would 
require a very wide range of reading, and a very 
careful methodical elaboration of collected materials 
— especially those from recent antagonistic literature. 
Neither time nor space remains for this. 

The most painful fact connected with present op- 
position to the Bible is, that, here at home, within 
the limits of Christendom itself, it has assumed so 
many plausible and captivating disguises, theological, 
scientific, and literary, and invaded, to so great an 
extent, all departments of mind, from the highest to 
the lowest, everywhere claiming even self-sacrificing 
honesty, and professing to appear and act only in the 
interest of truth. 



26 



ADDRESS, 

Originally delivered at the Anniversary of the Young Men's 
Bible Society, Cincinnati, November 21, 1848 ; and revised for 
the Anniversaries of the Philadelphia and New York City 
Bible Societies, November 27 and 30, 1856. 



The Bible is distinguished from all other books 
by two grand characteristics : — I. It is the Book 
of God : II. It is the Book of Man. 

I. THE BOOK OF GOD. 

As the Book of God, the Bible, certainly, is an 
incomparable production. The contemplation of 
God a3 an Author, in a literary sense, is wonder- 
ful. The notion of human authors is common 
enough. There is no history of the first, and no 
prophecy of the last. Thousands ot years ago it 
was said, " Of making many books there is no 
end." Ten thousand times as many, I suppose, 
are now made as were then; and yet the end 

297 



298 BIBLE ADDBESS. 

seems as far off as ever. Among all the titles of 
our poorly-rich old world, one of the most im- 
pressive is this : — the World of Books ! 

But the Bible is not of human authorship. 
True, its contents have been committed to parch- 
ment, paper, and various other materials, by- 
human hands; but those hands were under in- 
finitely higher direction than that of the human 
spirit. Even human authors frequently dictate 
their thoughts to amanuenses : sometimes, because 
of physical defect; at others, because of mental 
impatience ; and for many different but sufficient 
reasons. In a word, authorship, like every thing 
great, is of the soul. There originate the 

" Thoughts that breathe and words that burn," 

of which Gray so sublimely sings. Thence spring 
the living lightnings of the eye and the living 
thunders of the tongue. Without the soul, the 
eye, — how dull! the tongue, — how still! the 
hand, — how awkward and inapt! Homer and 
Milton, therefore, are not less the authors of their 
immortal poems, nor Thiers and Prescott of their 
applauded histories, for want of autograph manu- 
scripts. Neither is the God of Nature any less 
the Author of the Bible, because we have no 
sacred vellum to unroll from its golden rod, full 



BIBLE ADDRESS. 299 

of starry symbols traced by His own thrilling 
fingers. 

It were a marvellous thing for an angel to 
appear as an author, — for Gabriel or Michael, for 
instance, to favor the world with some duly- 
attested composition, as a fair expression of his 
genius and intelligence ; some history, law, or 
psalm; some proverb or prophecy; some doc- 
trinal and practical epistle, or apocalypse of things 
unseen and unknown. And yet this were nothing 
in comparison with God's appearance as an 
Author. He, whose absolutely-perfect infinitude 
is the source and support of all the subjective 
and objective intellect in the universe, has con- 
descended to assume this humble form in our 
midst. Here, in the Bible, He reveals Himself in 
all the relations just alluded to, — as a Historian, 
Lawgiver, and Poet; a Proverbialist and Pro- 
phet; a Doctrinal and Moral Preceptor; a graphic 
Delineator of the symbolic apocalypse of the 
future. 

It may be that this is at once the first and last 
appearance of our Maker in this way. He has 
created millions of worlds, but composed only 
one book. What a contrast ! The worlds, — how 
magnificent they are ! Even the planets are mag- 
nificent : how much more the suns ! and, still, 

26* 



300 BIBLE ADDRESS. 

how much more the systems ! How infinitely 
magnificent the universal system of systems ! 
To the all-comprehensive eye of their Creator, 
with what a blaze of glory they light up im- 
mensity! To the all-comprehensive ear of their 
Creator, with what a concert of music they en- 
liven eternity ! How much of His perfections He 
has diffused among them all ! And yet, after all, 
— for this is the point of these remarks, — He has 
enclosed more of His perfections in this little 
Book than He has spread abroad over all the 
creation ! His mind opens here as it never 
opened there. His heart throbs here as it never 
throbbed there. Nay, more, — to finish the figure 
and tell the whole truth, — His eyes weep here, 
His tongue falters here, and His hand trembles 
here. No wonder He resigned the pen to steadier 
nerves. He might indent the Law on tables of 
stone ; but He could not record the story of the 
Cross ! 

It is enough ! One sun in heaven, one Bible 
on earth ! — one the light of the natural world, the 
other the light of the spiritual world ! "Where is 
natural day ? "Wherever the sun shines ! And 
where is spiritual day? Wherever the Bible 
shines ! In either case, day is nowhere else. 
True, the moon gives light when the sun has set ; 



BIBLE ADDRESS. 301 

and so the church may give light when the Bible 
is withdrawn. But, in both cases, it is night- 
light, not daylight. Besides, the sun is not set to 
the moon, but only to the earth : the moon sees 
it still, though the earth does not, and the moon 
shines because she sees it. And so the Bible is 
not withdrawn from the church, but only from 
the world. In all such instances the church sees 
it, though the world does not, and the church 
shines only because she sees it. If all the moon 
be dark except half its edge-line, even that is 
proof that the sun is still in sight ; and so, if all 
the church be dark save some small segment, even 
that, however small, is proof that the Bible has 
not quite passed away. Still, the moon rejoices 
most when the sun returns and she is allowed to 
hide herself in his glory; and so the church 
triumphs most when the Bible returns and she 
is permitted to fade in its excelling splendor ! 

I know not how others feel in this connection ; 
but in my own heart there is a desire that the Bible 
may not perish with this poor sinful world, — that 
the Book of God may not be consumed with the 
productions of men. The Caliph Omar has been 
reproached, for more than a thousand years, for 
consigning the Alexandrian Library to the flames ; 
and it may be that the warming of four thousand 



302 BIBLE ADDRESS. 

baths for six months was but a paltry recom- 
pense for the loss suffered by literature in that 
barbaric incident. Still, it can scarcely be sup- 
posed that any human writings will survive, or 
deserve to survive, the conflagration of the last 
day. The constitutions and laws of states and 
churches, and all the annals of protected and pro- 
gressive civilization connected with them, will 
mingle their ashes with the ruin and refuse of all 
things, and, it may be, no reason remain to de- 
plore their fate. But the Bible, — God's own and 
only Book ! — surely it would seem that one copy 
of that at least — one perfect and imperishable 
transcript, — in its texture and inscription purer 
than the firmament and brighter than its fires ; 
attested, moreover, in behalf of Father, Son, and 
Spirit, with the seal and signature of our Lord 
Jesus Christ — should adorn forever the mercy- 
seat in heaven, as once the Shekinah adorned the 
mercy-seat on earth. 

II. THE BOOK OF MAN. 

But the Bible is the Book of man as well as the 
Book of God. In this relation, also, it is an in- 
comparable production. Schools of literature, 
art, science, and philosophy, — all have their text- 
books. Ecclesiastical sects and political parties, — 



BIBLE ADDRESS. 303 

all have their text-books. Nations have their 
text-books. But where is the text-book of our 
common humanity? "Where, but in the Bible, 
can any thing be found in the slightest degree 
worthy to bear the title of the Book of Man ? 

And now, tell me, who could have expected a 
Book for mankind to come forth from the Jews ? 
Bemember, they were a small nation, an isolated 
nation, an exclusive nation, regarded by others as 
malignant, and denounced, in so many words, as 
the haters of mankind. How came they to com- 
mence and consummate a work so complex in its 
structure, and yet so simple in its adaptations to 
the character and condition of our whole race; 
a work so early begun, so long continued, so gra- 
dually developed, and so happily completed; a 
work so changeable in its scribes, so various in 
its style, so consecutive in its subjects, so com- 
prehensive in its relations, and so transcendent in 
the importance of its contents ; with occasions so 
grand, with objects so stupendous, and with means 
so mighty and sure ; recovering the past, occupying 
the present, and anticipating the future ; filling 
heaven and earth; possessing time and eternity; 
discoursing of God, angels, devils, and men ; un- 
folding creation, providence, and redemption; 
disdaining nothing, however little ; despairing of 



304 BIBLE ADDRESS. 

nothing, however great; and yet so selecting its 
facts, so inculcating its principles, so urging its 
obligations, and so exercising its authority, as to 
constrain — absolutely constrain, reluctantly but 
inevitably — all art, all science, all philosophy, and 
all literature, — all schools, all sects, all parties, 
and all nations, — all ages of time and all king- 
doms of nature, — to bow down to it and confess 
its supreme and separate claims as the one and 
only Law of the world ; enthroning itself in inac- 
cessible pomp, and power, and glory, with the 
spoils of all genius, and all learning, and all in- 
vention, and all advancement, laid down in lowly 
homage at its feet ? 

Is there not something more than the majesty 
of the Jewish mind in all this ? Why, then, has 
not the Jewish mind produced other Bibles ? A 
longer interval has elapsed since the completion 
of the Sacred Canon than occurred during all 
its progress, — fifteen hundred years before, and 
eighteen hundred, since ! If, during the fifteen 
hundred years, sixty-six Books of Glory ori- 
ginated there, why not one from the same source 
during the eighteen hundred years which have 
since gone by? Such questions are the more 
pertinent because of the fact that, while the 
greatest nations of antiquity, in the providence 



BIBLE ADDRESS. 305 

of God, have been destroyed, the Jews, by the 
same providence, have been preserved. Here 
they are, at this day, standing among us as a 
perpetual social miracle. Nor only so ; but they 
have existed, to a great extent, as colonists of 
genius and learning, in all lands and ages. In 
all probability, they are as numerous now as 
they ever were ; and their national mind has lost 
little, if any thing, of its merely natural majesty. 
Therefore I press the question, — If there be 
nothing more than Jewish mind in the Bible, 
why has not this same mind produced other and 
equal Bibles ? 

I take the more interest in this topic, because 
of the folly of some who declare, even in the 
sanctuary, that if men now living, whether Jews 
or Gentiles, would lead holy lives, correspond- 
ing with those of the inspired writers, they might 
prepare new Scriptures, as full of inspiration and 
as high in authority as the Bible of the prophets 
and apostles of old. Alas, that the wisdom of 
God is so misunderstood ! More than holiness is 
requisite to inspiration. There must be a pur- 
pose with God, as well as principle in man, to 
prompt the gift. jivr 

Why cannot such persons see that the BSfele 
was written to meet the demands of great &©<so4r 



306 BIBLE ADDRESS. 

sions, — to perpetuate the controlling facts of tlie 
divine administration, — to register the creation, 
the fall, the promise, the curse, the deluge ; the 
covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Moses ; the 
first advent of Christ, the organization and des- 
tiny of the church, and the second advent of 
Christ, without sin, unto salvation? Are there 
any such occasions to require the aid of inspira- 
tion now ? Have we any new creation to record ? 
Has any new Adam fallen? — any new Paradise 
been forfeited ? — any new curse been pronounced? 
— or any new deluge drowned the world ? Has 
any new Noah, or Abraham, or Moses, appeared ? 
Has our Savior renewed His first advent, and are 
new evangelists needed to prepare new memo- 
rials? Are the crucifixion, burial, resurrection, 
and ascension, recent events, still unrecorded? 
Is Pentecost just over? Is the church just open- 
ing its gates to Jews and Gentiles? Are new 
Epistles, or is a new Apocalypse, wanted ? Can 
any thing be brought down from heaven more 
beautiful than the New Jerusalem? Or, as the 
last inspired book, from which nothing can be 
taken away and to which nothing can be added 
without incurring the most fearful wo, now closes 
with the benediction : — " The grace of our Lord 
Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen !" — is not 



BIBLE ADDRESS. 307 

that enough? Let men find occasions, great 
occasions, demanding inspiration, before they 
speak so pertly of securing and employing it. 
Even the old localities, sacredly as they are 
cherished, have lost their old occasions. As to 
the world before the flood, that seems to be still 
under the flood. But go to Ararat: how its life- 
less pinnacles glitter in the lofty realms of per- 
petual snow ! Go to Sinai : how still the cliff's 
which once sounded and resounded with the 
trumpets of angels and the voice of God ! Go to 
Bethlehem and Jerusalem, to Gethsemane and 
Calvary, to Ephesus and Patmos, to Athens and 
Rome, and, whatever may remain, you will find 
that the grand occasions for inspiration no longer 
exist. How could it be otherwise ? They passed 
with the times to which they belonged. "We 
find them, not where they occurred, but in the 
Bible itself, their appointed and proper de- 
pository. Open the Bible, and Ararat shows its 
ark, and altar, and rainbow, yet. Open the 
Bible, and Sinai trembles beneath the footsteps 
of Jehovah yet. Open the Bible, and Calvary 
not only trembles, but breaks its heart, though 
stern as rock, in shuddering sympathy with the 
dying Son of God. 

But, leaving this topic, let us look at another. 

27 



308 BIBLE ADDRESS. 

There is a wonderful resemblance between the 
Bible itself and Him whose story it tells and 
whose spirit it embodies. Like our Lord him- 
self, the Bible was long surrounded by envious 
and malignant foes, and for much the same 
reason. If it would have ministered to worldly 
ambition, they would have made it the king 
of books, as the enemies of Christ, on the same 
condition, would have made Him the King of 
men. But, like Him, it spurned the bribe. Like 
Him, it uttered its instructions and wrought its 
miracles for nobler ends. Like Him, therefore, 
it was derided and denounced. Its enemies, 
like His, took counsel against it in private, and 
assailed it by concert in public. They ques- 
tioned it on every subject which they hoped 
would entangle it. They sought, with all cun- 
ning, to secure matter of accusation against it; 
but its answers silenced them so completely, 
that they became afraid to question it further. 
Still, they plotted its destruction; bought over 
not only one, but many, of its professed friends ; 
and then arrested it, mocked it, spit upon it, 
smote it, tried it, condemned it, crucified it, 
buried it, sealed its sepulchre, set a guard there, 
and then triumphed in the power of their wrath : 
ay, triumphed, until that guard, all pale and 



BIBLE ADDRESS. 309 

quivering, hurried in and alarmed them with 
the tidings of its resurrection ! Then fast they 
fled to the horns of the altar ; but only to find 
that the veil of their temple was rent in twain, 
that their protection and glory had forever de- 
parted, and that their Victim, radiant with im- 
mortality, had ascended to the throne of universal 
and perpetual dominion ! 

And what now ? Eighteen centuries have gone 
by since the ascension of Christ, — since "the 
Father of glory" "set Him at His own right 
hand in the heavenly places, far above all prin- 
cipality, and power, and might, and dominion, 
and every name that is named, not only in this 
world, but also in that which is to come;" and 
determined to "put all things under His feet," 
and, in the mean time, "gave Him to be the 
head over all things to the church, which is His 
body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all;" 
ordaining that, ultimately, " at the name of Jesus 
every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and 
things on earth, and things under the earth ; and 
that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ 
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Now, 
however, we are all in waiting for this. "We 
see not yet all things put under Him ;" but this 
we see: — "We see Jesus, who was made a little 



310 BIBLE ADDKESS. 

lower than the angels, for the suffering of death/' 
or as the reward of His suffering, " crowned with 
glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, 
should taste death for every man;" that is, that 
His very crown and glory, given to Him in 
proof of the favor of God, should demonstrate 
to the world that He died, not for His own sins, 
but for the sins of mankind, — to redeem them 
from death and the grave, and exalt them to an 
everlasting participation in the ineffable grandeur 
and felicity of His own destiny. 

And what now? Is Christ, therefore, now 
without enemies? Has the world learned at 
last to admire and adore the infinite dignity of 
His mediation ? Does it lift up its voice, and 
exclaim, "We bless and magnify thy name, 
O Christ, that thou didst not bow down to the 
littleness of earthly ambition ! We thank thee 
that when Satan tempted thee with the proffer 
of all the kingdoms of the world and the glory 
of them if thou wouldst bend the knee to him, 
thou didst straighten thy stature, and darken 
thy countenance in awful rebuke, and drive him, 
confounded, from thy presence ! We thank thee 
that when the people, charmed by thy sympathy 
and benevolence, would have taken thee by 
force to make thee a king, thou didst hide thy- 



BIBLE ADDRESS. 311 

self in the mountain-seclusion, preferring to be 
alone, with the thought of redemption, rather 
than to sway the sceptre over the proudest 
empire of sin ! "We thank thee that when the 
' chief priests, and scribes, and elders' mocked 
thee, and said, 'He saved others, himself he 
cannot save : if he be the king of Israel, let 
him now come down from the cross, and we 
will believe him,' — thou didst still prefer the 
cross, even when thy Father himself seemed to 
turn away from it and from thee, — preferred it 
to all that earth and heaven could give besides ! 
We thank thee that after thy resurrection, when 
thy disciples, still infatuated with sensual delu- 
sions, inquired of thee, 'Lord, wilt thou at this 
time restore again the kingdom to Israel?' thou 
didst answer them only with the promise of 
spiritual gifts, and then ascended to heaven to 
receive them of the Father and distribute them 
unto men ! We thank thee, moreover, that, ever 
since, thou hast consecrated to the same w r ork 
of entire and eternal salvation the concentrate 
sympathies of thy humanity and energies of 
thy divinity, and art now conducting it, with 
infinite patience and perseverance, toward its 
decreed, and certain, and ineffably-illustrious 
triumph!" 

27* 



312 BIBLE ADDRESS. 

Does the world at last thus lift up its voice, 
and bless and magnify the name of Christ? 
Nay, verily. True, He has more disciples now 
than He had in the beginning; but so has He 
more enemies, — enemies, if possible, more crafty 
and malicious than those of old. He was 
sneered at on the cross ; He is blasphemed on 
the throne ! 

And, my friends, — friends of the great and 
glorious cause now before us, — just so it is 
with the Bible. "What though it has been raised 
from the dead? What though it has ascended 
to the very zenith of spiritual pomp and power? 
What though it is the mightiest agent now in 
action in all the world ? What though its God- 
like objects are still prosecuted as benignantly 
and beneficently as ever ? At this very moment 
it is as much as ever, if not more than ever, 
abhorred and abominated by its multiform foes. 

But what of that? Can they pluck it down 
from its sublime sphere of majesty and glory ? 
What ! Can they kill it again, and bury it 
again? As well might they attempt to crucify 
and entomb the Lord Jesus Christ again ! Here 
is the point of the resemblance I have drawn. As 
well might they attempt to crucify and entomb 
the Lord Jesus Christ again ! 






BIBLE ADDRESS. 313 

What then ? I appeal to them. "Where is 
your Judas? Bring him out. Where are your 
officers? Summon them hither. Where are the 
elements of your mob? Collect them all. Give 
them staffs ; for they have a long journey before 
them. Give them swords ; they need keener 
blades than human hands have ever wielded. 
But, as to lanterns, let them leave these behind ; 
for there is " no night there ; and they need no 
candle, neither light of the sun : for the Lord 
God giveth them light." Now, therefore, if your 
bands can bear that light, let their motley ranks 
march on. First, let them try their steel against 
the lightning-scimetars of the twelve legions of 
angels whom Jesus held in restraint in Geth- 
semane. Next, let them drive back and over- 
turn the twenty thousand chariots of fire which 
escorted Him from earth to heaven, when He 
"ascended on high, and led captivity captive, 
that He might receive gifts for men ; yea, for the 
rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell 
among them. ,, Then let them force open the 
gates and batter down the everlasting doors, 
which would not lift up their heads even to the 
King of glory, without due challenge and answer, 
— would not allow even the Lord strong and 
mighty, the Lord mighty in battle, the Lord of 



314 BIBLE ADDRESS. 

hosts, to come in, until His victorious retinue 
had shouted the password to their faithful and 
fearless sentinels. This done, let them press 
their way through the* whole population of the 
New Jerusalem, — saints, angels, and archangels ; 
cherubim and seraphim ; thrones, and domi- 
nions, and principalities, and powers ; the morn- 
ing-stars and the sons of God ; — press their way 
to the height of Zion and to the palace of the 
King, — press their way through portal, and hall, 
and all their flaming guardians, — press their way 
to the very chamber of Presence and to the 
throne and person of Him who is " God over 
all, and blessed foTever." Then let the Arch- 
Traitor draw near and kiss Him, saying, "Hail, 
Master X' — and then let the captains seize Him, 
— and then, amidst countless millions of silent 
harps and trumpets, let them raise the shout 
of Satanic triumph, — and then let them return 
to the earth again, leading with them, through 
all the weeping orders of the helpless hierarchy, 
their pale and placid Victim, down from the 
throne, and crown, and sceptre of eternity, to 
the reed and thorns of Pilate's hall, and the 
nakedness, nails, and cross of bloody Calvary ! 
Then let them seal his sepulchre again ; set 
around it a guard which no angel can frighten, 



BIBLE ADDRESS. 315 

and make all dark, and still, and sure forever! 
Let them do all this ; for then — and not until 
then — they may do the same to the Bible ! 

Let them do it? Who do ifi—ivho? Really, 
the very contemplation of their presumption in- 
volves the oblivion of their persons ! A flock 
of bats may endeavor to overshadow the world 
with their wings, when the sky reddens and 
flames, and the morning leaps from peak to 
peak among the mountains, and the whole ocean 
flashes from pole to pole in the sunrise; but 
who that happens to notice their crooked pinions, 
and leather membranes, and zigzag flight, even 
for a moment, does not, the next moment, forget 
them all forever ? If they cannot but hate the 
light, let them content themselves with obscuring 
their own cavern, — hanging close together in its 
entrance, hook by hook and claw within claw, with 
their eyes shut and their faces turned inward, — 
leaving all the world without to exult in its 
noontide blaze of heavenly splendor. 

No, no : the Bible is enthroned on earth, as 
Christ is enthroned in heaven, for the salvation 
of souls, for the redemption of mankind. As 
Christ is the Son of God, so the Bible is the 
Book of God. And as Christ is the Son of 
man, so the Bible is the Book of man. And 



316 BIBLE ADDRESS. 

as God is in Christ, reconciling the world nnto 
himself, so He is in the Bible, reconciling the 
world unto himself, — not imputing their tres- 
passes unto them, but, for Christ's sake, for- 
giving and saving all who believe in Him, and 
in the Book which testifies of Him. 

God knows what man is ; Christ knows what 
man is ; and the Bible — the Book of God, and 
of Christ, and of man — shows what man is. 

Some of the enemies of the Bible reject it 
altogether, — are ready to throw it into the fire 
and spit upon its ashes. These are the selfish 
ones, — sensual, or cruel, or both: rioters of pas- 
sion, or tyrants over the bodies and souls of the 
people. 

Others reject only what the Bible relates of 
the life to come. In relation to the life that 
now is, they have recently discovered that the 
Bible is a fine Book; that it teaches universal 
brotherhood, liberty, and equal rights ; that it 
furnishes the best shield in the world against 
the spear of the oppressor, and the best sword 
in the world wherewith to cut him down. These 
are the vain reformers of our race, — the dove- 
hearted dupes of the tiger-hearted devil. 

The Bible rises, and will continue to rise, 
above them all. "For my thoughts are not your 



BIBLE ADDRESS. 317 

thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith 
the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than 
the earth, so are my ways higher than your 
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts/ ' 
The Bible is the Book of man, — not of a herd 
of brutal sensualists. It is the Book of man, — 
not of an alliance or convocation of tyrants. 
It is the Book of man, — not of the body only. 
It is the Book of man, — not of the soul only. 
It is the Book of man, — not of a few bodies 
and a few souls only. It is the Book of man, 
— not of a sect or party in either church or 
state. It is the Book of man, — not of the state 
in whole, nor yet of the church in whole. It 
is the Book of man, — not of state and church 
combined. It is the Book of man, — not of all 
states and churches on earth combined. It is 
the Book of man, — of every man, body and soul, 
— of all men, in all relations and throughout all 
generations, — " having promise of the life that 
now is, and also of that which is to come." 
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all 
acceptation." 

Can any man suppose that Gad would give 
His Son to the cross, or His Book to the press, 
for a part of the world only? No more than 
He would give rain, or sunshine, or air, for a 



318 BIBLE ADDRESS. 

part of the world only ! He values spiritual 
life more highly than natural life, and is not 
less free in the gift of means to sustain it. 
But, strange to say, these means are committed 
to a few for the benefit of all. The Book — 
unlike the rain, and sunshine, and air — must be 
sent abroad by human hands. Herein is our elect 
honor. Herein is our most solemn responsibility. 
God help us to act worthily ! 

It is well, sir, to hold such anniversaries in 
National Halls. It is well to claim the sup- 
port of Cities of Brotherly Love. It is well to 
challenge the help of the noblest representa- 
tives of church and state. But "who is suffi- 
cient for these things ?" As the Bible itself 
is the Book of God and the Book of man, 
so the circulation of it is the cause of God and 
the cause of. man. In such a work, the rarest 
human energy is nothing without the richest 
divine blessing. 

"What then? Let us all say, deliberately and 
reverently, Down with state authority, down 
with church authority, down with all authority, 
— on land and sea, at home and abroad, now 
and forever, — in so far as it opposes the authority 
of the Bible ! The Bible is not only the higher 
Law, but the highest Law ; not of one country 



BIBLE ADDRESS. 319 

only, but of all countries; and not for one age 
only, but for all ages. Up, therefore, with indi- 
vidualism; not, however, the individualism of 
infidelity, but the individualism of the Bible ; 
not the element of anarchy, but the regenerating 
conservatism of society, — the best basis of com- 
mon order and peace ; the individualism of evan- 
gelical repentance, faith, hope, and love; the 
individualism of true manhood ; the individualism 
of the image of God impressed on the soul and 
shining in the very countenance of the redeemed. 
The Bible and private judgment !■ — the Bible and 
liberty of conscience ! — the Bible and personal re- 
sponsibility !— the Bible and social progress in 
church and state, here and everywhere, now, 
henceforth, and forever. Amen ! 



28 



CORRESPONDENCE* 



"House of Representatives, 

" Washington, March 19, 1860. 
"Rev. T.H.Stockton. 

"Dear Sir: — The undersigned, Members of the House, would respectfully 
request a copy of your salutatory Sermon, delivered yesterday in the Hall of the 
House. We wish it for publication, that its influence may be widely extended by 
the circulation we shall give to it. If it comport with your inclinations and con- 
venience, a compliance with this request will greatly oblige 

* Tour friends, 
" S. S. COX, G. W. SCRANTON, 

jno. hickman, w. howard, 

e. joy morris, thomas b. florence, 

thos. a. r. nelson, jno. g. davis, 

a. a. burnham, jas. c. robinson, 

john mclean, j. w. stevenson, 

jno. a. bingham, roger a. pryor, 

robert Mcknight, c. l. vallandigham, 

jas. b. mckean, j. k. moorhead, 

e. b. french, c b. sedgwick, 

JOHN HUTCHINS, WM. PENNINGTON." 



" Washington, March 22, 1860. 
" Gentlemen : 

" Your request was as much a surprise as my election. Humbly trusting, how- 
ever, that there is a vindicating and progressive Providence in these incidents, 
and wishing, most devoutly, to be enabled to answer its purposes, I respectfully 
commit my discourse to your disposal. 

" As you appropriately intimate, it is a simple salutation, — prepared hastily, but 
not without prayer or care, — designed to announce certain main principles and 
connect them with suitable reminiscences and exhortations. If, in looking at the 
manuscript (containing a few verbal corrections and additions of personal names), 
you still deem it likely to do good, I shall be grateful for the use you may make 

of it. 

" With all respect, I remain 

" Your servant, for Christ's sake, 

"T. H. STOCKTON. 

" Hon. Wm. Pennington, Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
" John McLean, Judge of the Supreme Court. 
" S. S. Cox; Hon. Jno. Hickman; 
" E. Joy Morris ; and other Members of the House." 

* Copied to indicate co-operative sentiments then prevalent. 

320 



SERMON FROM THE CAPITOL. 



THE IMPERISHABLE AND SAVING WORDS OF CHRIST. 



Delivered in the Hall of the House of Representatives, on Sabbath 
morning, March 18, 1860. 

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not 
pass away." — Matthew xxiv. 35. 

We need elevation. As men, Americans and 
Christians, we need elevation. In our persons 
and families, states and churches, we all need 
elevation. Properly speaking, it is impossible 
to desire too great elevation. The woe of the 
world is the want of a true ambition. 

To prevent us from taking unjust advantage 
of this truth, it is enough to remember the 
Gospel maxim: — "For whosoever exalteth himself 
shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall 
be exalted." This maxim both commends the 
object and directs the pursuit. 

321 



322 THE IMPERISHABLE AND SAVING 

And how, — see! One day, a young Galilean 
carpenter, followed by a few lake-shore fisher- 
men, entered the Temple at Jerusalem; as a 
company of our countrymen, from any rural 
district, on any day, enters this Capitol. Soon 
after, as they left the Temple, some of the 
young man's friends invited his attention to 
certain fine ornaments and massive stones, cha- 
racteristic of the general and incomparable rich- 
ness and strength of the buildings. But he 
replied to them, "See ye not all these things? 
Verily I say unto you. There shall not be left here 
one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown 
down." 

What did they think of that? What would 
we think of a rustic visitor, who should leave 
this Capitol, saying to his companions, — and in 
a manner implying imminency of the event, — 
Not one stone of it shall be left upon another! 

Strange as it may seem, that Galilean group 
had no little confidence in their leader; and, 
therefore, when they had come with him, out 
from the city, down the hill, over Kedron, and 
up Olivet, until they reached a suitable position 
for a wide resurvey of the scene, no sooner was 
he seated than they drew near to him with the 
question, "Tell us, when shall these things be?" 



WORDS OF CHRIST. 323 

What then? Did he withdraw what he had 
said, or make light of it, or intimate any possi- 
bility of mistake ? Not at all. Rather, he gave 
them a prolonged and specific answer; in the 
course of which, ascending, with infinite ease, to 
an infinitely sublimer assumption, he did not 
hesitate to declare, "Heaven and earth shall pass 
away, but my words shall not pass away! 31 It is 
as though he had said, There reposes the Holy 
City; girt about with all the defences of art and 
nature; and glittering all over with the concen- 
trate wealth and power and pride of a great 
nation, during a long succession of royal and 
priestly ages. There expands, pre-eminently and 
most impressively, the peerless magnificence of 
the venerated and impregnable Temple. To 
you, it seems marvellous that I should predict 
the destruction of all. But to me, that olden 
glory is only as the fading pageant of a summer 
sunset. Look away from the city, beyond and 
above it. Behold the mountains round about it! 
Behold the firmament bending over it! Nay, 
let your thought exceed your vision. Think of 
the fulness of heaven and earth; of continents, 
islands, and seas; of sun, moon, and stars; of 
the divine origin, grandeur, perpetuity, and gov- 
ernment of all. Think well of these things, and 

23* 



324 THE IMPERISHABLE AND SAVING 

then remember, — that my words are mightier 
and more enduring than all. Not only shall 
Jerusalem pass away, but heaven and earth shall 
pass away; and yet my feeblest word, the faint- 
est sound of my voice, the gentlest breath from 
my lips, shall never pass away. 

Did they believe him? Yes; and with good 
reason. - They witnessed, to a great extent, the 
power of his words. Attracted by those words, 
cities were emptied and deserts filled. At his 
word, the " common people,' ' who "heard him 
gladly," grew wiser than the wisest of their 
teachers. At his word, the hierarchs of genius 
and learning, of law and religion, blushed and 
trembled, — darkening with rage or paling with 
affright. At his word, his humble disciples were 
qualified and commissioned to supersede "the 
wisdom of the world," and become themselves 
the apostles of nations and instructors of man- 
kind. At his word, every scene of his presence 
became a circle of divine enchantment: where 
deaf men listened, and dumb men spoke, and 
blind men looked, and lame men leaped, and 
the paralytic stood still, and the leper was clean, 
and the maimed made whole, and the withered 
restored, and the sick revived, and the lunatic 
calmed, and the demoniac dispossessed, and the 



WORDS OF CHRIST. 325 

dead — -just risen from their tombs — exchanged 
new greetings with the pressing multitudes of 
the living. True, their faith was sorely tried: 
chiefly, when their youthful leader expired on 
the cross. But he soon rose from the dead, 
ascended into heaven, and thence "gave gifts 
unto men." Thus, their faith was renewed and 
confirmed, forever. Then they repeated and re- 
corded his words ; committing them, in trust, to 
all nations and ages. In fulfilment of the pre- 
diction specially referred to, before that genera- 
tion passed away, the Temple was destroyed, and 
Jerusalem with it ; and the people were scattered 
and their institutions overthrown. The carcass 
of Judaism lay stretched along the hill-side, and 
from the whole cope of heaven the eagles of 
Rome hurried to the festival. Since then, the 
words of that young man have become the law 
of the world; and miracles, corresponding with 
those of his transient ministry, have been mul- 
tiplied on a larger scale and in more enduring 
relations. At his word, deaf nations have lis- 
tened, and dumb nations spoke, and blind na- 
tions looked, and lame nations leaped, and para- 
lytic nations have been strengthened, and leprous 
nations cleansed, and maimed nations made 
whole, and withered nations restored, and sick 



326 THE IMPERISHABLE AND SAVING 

nations revived, and lunatic nations calmed, and 
demoniac nations dispossessed, and dead nations 
brought forth exultant from their graves. Even 
these miracles are "as nothing, less than no- 
thing, and vanity,' ' in comparison with others 
which are yet to come, — miracles in behalf of all 
nations, and of our whole race, and of the world 
itself. And still, with the same easy, natural, 
infinite sublimity as at first, he assures us all, 
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, hut my words 
shall not pass away." 

Now, therefore, rises the all-important ques- 
tion: — Do we believe him? We live more than 
eighteen hundred years after his advent. "We 
live in a new world; unknown to the old, in 
which he lived, until within less than four hun- 
dred years ago. A new soil is under our feet, 
and a new sky over our heads. We show, on 
a vast area, free and unembarrassed, the best 
results of a thousand social revolutions. To us, 
the most of the old things of the old world have 
passed away: old governments, old mythologies, 
old philosophies, old sciences, old arts, and old 
manners, customs, and usages. To us, nearly 
all things have become new. But have the 
old words of that young Kazarene passed away 
from us? or has any new master superseded his 



WORDS OF CHRIST. 827 

authority over us? Not in the slightest degree! 
His authority is still supreme, and every syllable 
of his utterance as sure as ever. As it has been, 
and is, so it always shall be. "With gratitude for 
our history, in vindication of our honor, and in 
acknowledgment of the true and only source of 
our power, — in due remembrance of our fathers, 
with due respect for ourselves, and due regard 
for our children, — I here arise, on this highest 
height of the nation, as a representative, how- 
ever humble, of our people at large of every 
State in the Union, and of the United States in 
whole; and thus, with lifted hand, repeat our 
solemn, national affirmation, — our official and 
perpetual proclamation to all mankind, — that 
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the 
Words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 
shall not pass away ! 

I contemplate the heaven and earth of the 
old world: the overrulings of Providence and 
changes of society there. I think of the passing 
away of the whole circle of ancient Mediter- 
ranean civilization. I think of the dark ages of 
Europe. I think of the morning of the Reforma- 
tion, and the fore-gleamings of "the latter-day 
glory." I think of Art, and her printing-press; 
of Commerce, and her compass; of Science, and 



328 * THE IMPERISHABLE AND SAVING 

her globe; of Religion, and her Bible. I con- 
template the opening of the heaven and earth 
of the new world : the overrulings of Providence 
and changes of society here. I think of the 
passing away of savage simplicities, and of the 
rude semblances of civilization in Mexico and 
Peru, and of earlier and later declensions. I 
think of the gracious reservation of our own 
inheritance for present and nobler occupancy. 
I think of our Eevolution, and its result of Inde- 
pendence. I think of our first Union, first Con- 
gress, first prayer in Congress, and first Congres- 
sional order for the Bible ; and of our wonderful 
enlargement, development, and enrichment since. 
And, in view of all, — of the whole heaven and 
whole earth of the whole world; and of all 
changes, social and natural, past, present, and 
future; profoundly and unalterably assured, as 
I trust we all are, that the truth as it is "in 
Jesus" is the only stability in the universe, — I 
feel justified in invoking, this day, your renewal 
of our common and constant confession, that 
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the words 
of Christ shall never pass away. And, standing 
where we do, on the central summit of this great 
Confederacy, unequalled in all history for all 
manner of blessings, if we did not so confess 



WORDS OF CHRIST. 329 

Christ; if we did not cherish the simple con- 
fidence of His primitive disciples, and hail the 
coming of our Lord with hosannas; if we could 
ignobly hold onr peace; the very statues of the 
Capitol "would immediately cry out;" the mar- 
ble lips of Columbus, Penn, and Washington; 
of War and Peace; of the Pioneer and of Free- 
dom, would part to praise His name; and the 
stones of the foundation and walls, of the arcades 
and corridors, of the rotunda and halls, would 
respond to their glad and grand acclaim. 

But we do confess Him ! From Maine to Flo- 
rida, from Florida to Texas, from Texas to Cali- 
fornia, from California to Oregon, and from Ore- 
gon back to Maine; our lake States, gulf States, 
and ocean States; our river States, prairie States, 
and mountain States ; all unite in confessing and 
blessing His name; beholding His glory, sur- 
rounding His throne, high and lifted up; and 
ever crying, like the six-winged seraphim, one 
to another, far and near, from the North and 
the South, from the East and the West, "Holy, 
holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is 
full of his glory." 

But where are the words of Christ? and what 
are they? He did not write them; but merely 
spoke them, and that during a brief ministry. 



330 THE IMPERISHABLE AND SAVING 

Nevertheless, they were recorded; and not only 
sucli as were uttered in the flesh, but others with 
which the writers were inspired by His spirit, 
both before and after His advent, — the revela- 
tions of the prophets and apostles. All alike 
are His words; and here they are, — in the 
Bible! The Bible, from beginning to end, is 
the book of Christ. And, therefore, affirming 
of the whole what is true of every part, I hold 
up the Bible, and, in the name of Christ, pro- 
claim to the country and the world, Heaven 
and earth shall pass away, but the blble, 
the holy and blessed blble, shall not pass 
away! 

What, then, are the words of Christ? or, as 
the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the 
Bible, is the inspired and authoritative record 
of them, — what is the Bible ? 

We hear much of the Higher Law; and the 
application of the phrase to civil affairs has ex- 
cited great prejudice and given great offence. 
But what is the Higher Law? It is said to be 
something higher than the Constitution of the 
United States. Can there be a law, within these 
United States, higher than the Constitution of 
the United States? If there can be, and is, such 
a law, what is it? I need not, and will not, 



WORDS OF CHRIST. 331 

recite inferior, questionable, and inappropriate 
answers here. But is there not one unques- 
tionable answer? Suppose it be said, that, in 
relation to all subjects to which it was designed 
to apply, and properly does apply, the Bible is 
a higher law than the Constitution of the United 
States. "Will any man, unless an utter infidel, 
deny this? Surely not. "Waiving its practical 
operations, certainly, as an abstract proposition, 
this must be admitted as true. It may be ex- 
tended, so as to include all our State constitu- 
tions, and all our Church constitutions, and all 
our more Social constitutions. Put them all to- 
gether, magnify and boast of them as we may, 
not only is the Bible a higher law, but it is an 
infinitely higher law. For thus saith the Lord: 
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my 
ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than 
your thoughts." Therefore, also, the universal 
and perpetual prophetic challenge: — "0 earth, 
earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord!" 

If this be not true, my mission, at least, is an 
entire mistake, and my commission ends. But 
it is true ; and, if there were no other argument 
to prove it true, this one were all-sufficient. All 
human constitutions — social, ecclesiastical, and 

civil — are changeable, and contain provisions for 

29 



332 THE IMPERISHABLE AND SAVING 

change ; but the Bible is unchangeable. Instead 
of any provision for change, it is guarded, at all 
points, against change. The writer of its first 
five books declares, in the last of the five, " Ye 
shall not add unto the word which I command you, 
neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep 
the commandments of the Lord your God, which I 
command you.'* And, in like manner, the author 
of its last five books declares, in the last of the 
five, "If any man shall add unto these things, God 
shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this 
book: and if any man shall take away from the 
words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take 
away his part out of the book of life, and out of the 
holy city, and from the things which are written in this 
book." And so Isaiah, standing midway between 
Moses and John, exclaims, "Lift up your eyes to 
the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the 
heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth 
shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell there- 
in shall die in like manner ; but my salvation shall be 
forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished" 
Therefore, it is only in accordance with the testi- 
mony of all His witnesses, that Christ himself 
avers, " Think not that I am come to destroy the 
law, or the prophets : I am not come to destroy, but to 
fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and 



WORDS OF CHRIST. 333 

earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass 
from the law, till all be fulfilled" And so again, 
in the text itself, "Heaven and earth shall pass 
away, but my words shall not pass away" 

Thank God for one book above amendment! 
"Forever, Lord, thy word is settled in heaven" 
And here, in our place and day, we respond to 
the psalmist on Zion, — Forever, O Lord, thy 
word is settled on earth. No man or set of men ; 
no king, priest, or scribe ; no popular convention, 
ecclesiastical council, or national congress, would 
dare to erase one letter from the record. Let our 
own countrymen, in particular, treat other books 
as they think they have a right to do, or feel it 
their duty or make it their interest or pleasure 
to do, — by amendment, abridgment, or enlarge- 
ment; by interpolation or expurgation, — not one 
among them, North, South, East, or West, would 
presume to touch, with any such purpose, the 
sacred ark containing the Higher Law of God. 
Here is our shrine of worship, the oracle of our 
wisdom, and the glory of our power. 

But a higher Law implies a higher Judge, and 
a higher Administrator. And who is the higher 
Judge? The Holy Spirit! the Spirit of truth, 
promised unto us to guide us into all truth; 
making us spiritual and giving us spiritual ap- 



334 THE IMPERISHABLE AND SAVING 

prehension; aiding us in the comparison of spi- 
ritual things with spiritual; searching the deep 
things of God, as contained in the Bible, and 
revealing them unto us. And who is the higher 
Administrator? Christ Himself! into whose 
hands the Father has committed all power "in 
heaven and in earth," to qualify Him fully for 
the duties of this sovereign office. Does any 
one object to the higher Administrator? Does 
any one object to the higher Judge? Then why 
object to the higher Law? They go together, 
are all divine, and all supreme forever. So that 
we may say with the prophet, " The Lord is our 
judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; 
he will save us." 

" He will save us !" Blessed conclusion! with- 
out which all else were in vain, and worse than 
in vain. He deigns to become our judge, law- 
giver, and king, only that He may save us; and, 
if we do not thwart Him by our iniquities, be- 
cause He is our judge, lawgiver, and king, He 
will save us. 

Tell me, oh, tell me! what is it we need? Do 
we need health, or genius, or learning, or elo- 
quence, or pleasure, or fame, or power? Do we 
need wealth, or rank, or office? Does any one of 
us need to be chaplain, or clerk, or representative, 



WORDS OF CHRIST. 335 

or senator, or speaker, or vice-president? an of- 
ficer of the army or navy? a member or head of 
any department? a foreign minister? a cabinet 
officer? or even a successor in the line of presi- 
dents of the United States? Is such our need? 
Ah, no ! we need salvation. 

"What did I say in the beginning? Did I not 
say we need elevation? As men, Americans and 
Christians, we need elevation: in our persons 
and families, states and churches, we need ele- 
vation. Certainly I did thus speak, and meant 
all I said. 

O my friends! all the distinctions alluded to, 
such as we know them here, are comparatively 
little things. Greater things are in prospect; 
but these things, though they seem great, are 
really little. Pause, think, recall what life has 
taught you, — what observation and experience 
have combined to impress most deeply upon 
your consciousness, — and begin your review with 
the sad words, after all! After all, health is a 
little thing, and genius is a little thing; and 
learning, and eloquence, and pleasure, and fame, 
and power, and wealth, and rank, and office, all 
earthly things, are little things. How little satis- 
faction they yield while they last, and how soon 
they pass away ! 

29* 



336 THE IMPERISHABLE AND, SAVING 

Ask the most successful around you, in these 
relations, if they have yet supplied their highest 
need ? As the general rule, the more successful 
they have been, the older you will find them. 
They have not attained their coveted posts of 
honor by a single leap. They have risen gra- 
dually, through years of earnest toil. And the 
soberness of reflection is now about them. And 
the anticipation of a hastening end is with them. 
Ask them, and they will answer: — After all, we 
have spent our lives in little things. We yet 
need true elevation. 

I would tell you, more particularly, of whom 
to inquire, — were it not that you would prove it 
in vain to seek them. Twenty-six years ago, at 
the age of twenty-five, I was first called to this 
office. Two years afterward, I served again. I 
now compare, though briefly and imperfectly, the 
present with the past. I find a new Hall and a 
new Senate-Chamber; but the old Hall and the 
old Senate-Chamber are still here. I find also a 
new House and a new Senate; but where are the 
old House and old Senate? How many reminis- 
cences crowd upon me! — forms, and faces, and 
voices, and gestures, and elaborate speeches, and 
casual debates, and social remarks, and current 
incidents: all impressed on youthful sensibili- 



WORDS OF CHRIST. 337 

ties, and not yet effaced. But I cannot describe 
them. Where are Jarvis, of Maine, and Cush- 
man and Hubbard, of New Hampshire ? "Where 
are Adams, Calhoun, and Choate ; Davis, Jack- 
son, and Lawrence ; Lincoln, Phillips, and Seed, 
of Massachusetts ? Where are Ellsworth, Hun- 
tington, and Judson, of Connecticut? Where 
Burges and Pearce, of Rhode Island? Where 
Allen, Everett, and Slade, of Vermont? Where 
Bokee, Childs, and Cramer; Granger and Lan- 
sing ; Lee, Moore, and Wardwell, of New York ? 
Where is Parker, of New Jersey? Where are 
Beaumont, Chambers, and Denny; Hubley, Mc- 
Kennan, and Mann; Miller, Muhlenberg, and 
Watmough, of Pennsylvania? Where is Milli- 
gan, of Delaware? Where are Dennis, Heath, 
and Jenifer; McKim and Steele; Stoddert and 
Washington, of Maryland? Where Bouldin, 
Coles, and Dromgoole; Jones, Mason, and Mer- 
cer ; Patton, Stevenson, and Taliaferro, of Vir- 
ginia? Where Conner, Deberry, and McKay; 
Sheppard, Speight, and Williams, of North Caro- 
lina? Where are Blair, Campbell, and Davis; 
Griffin, McDuffie, and Pinckney, of South Caro- 
lina ? Where G-lascock, Grantland, and Haynes ; 
Holsey and Wilde, of Georgia? Where are 
White, of Florida; and Lewis and Murphy, of 



338 THE IMPERISHABLE AND SAVING 

Alabama? "Where are Bullard, Garland, and 
Ripley, of Louisiana? Where is Sevier, of Ar- 
kansas? Where are Carter, Crockett, and Dun- 
lap; Forrester and Huntsman; Polk, Pope, and 
Standefer, of Tennessee? Where Allen, Boyd, 
and French ; Graves, Hardin, and Hawes ; John- 
son, Lyon, and Williams, of Kentucky? Where 
is Ashley, of Missouri? Where are Duncan and 
May, of Illinois? Where Boon, Davis, and Han- 
negan; Kinnard, Lane, and McCarthy, of In- 
diana? And where are Hamer, Lytle, and 
Sloane; Spangler, Thompson, and Vance, of 
Ohio? All these, if my quest has been rightly 
answered, have passed away, not only from 
this House, but from the world; and, doubt- 
less, many of their colleagues, if not already 
gone, are just about to follow. At least, they 
are not here. Scarcely a relic is left ! And so 
of the Senate. Where are Clayton and Cuth- 
bert; Goldsborough, Hill, and Hendricks; 
Kent, Kino, and Knight; Moore and Porter; 
Southard and Sprague; Tipton, Tomlinson, and 
Wall? Where the venerable White, and the 
good-natured Grundy, and the sharp Poindex- 
ter, and the learned Robbins, and the handsome 
Linn, and the graceful Forsyth, and the saga- 
cious Wright, and the indomitable Benton, and 



WORDS OF CHRIST. 339 

the gentle-tongued Leigh? "Where is the easy, 
all-elate, sonorous, and majestic eloquence of 
Clay ? Where the calm, cool, clear, and massive 
magnificence of "Webster? Where the affable 
dignity, the intellectual and moral loftiness, of 
Calhoun? Passed away, — all passed away! Or, 
will you leave the Halls of Congress ? Do you 
think of the Army ? — Where, then, are Macomb 
and Gaines ? Of the Navy ? — Where, then, are 
Eodgers and Barron? Will you enter the Su- 
preme Court? — Where is Marshall, Chief of 
the Judges? and where is Wirt, Chief of the 
Attorneys? Or, will you at last repair to the 
Presidential mansion? Where, then, is Jackson, 
Chief of the Heroes ? Passed away, — all passed 
away! How many of their companions, how 
many of their successors, have also passed away, 
I have neither time nor knowledge to declare. 
It is but a. little while and a limited area of 
which I speak, and yet — what a scene of honored 
dust, in sacred silence, alone remains ! 

Oh, if I could direct you to them, and you 
could find them, and should ask them, — After 
all, what is human need? would they not say, 
It is elevation, it is salvation, — salvation by hu- 
miliation, in accordance with the life, and death, 
and triumph of the meek and lowly Nazarene ? 



340 THE IMPERISHABLE AND SAVING 

Hearken to me this day, men, brethren, and 
fathers ! Christianity is the most practical thing, 
the most immediately and substantially important 
thing, in the universe. Visionary! fanciful! im- 
practical! The occupation of dreamers, enthu- 
siasts, and fanatics ! Aha ! Did I not tell you 
that we need elevation? How can any, how dare 
any, prate thus of our faith ? 

Hearken to the truth! If we need health, it 
is perfect health, and that forever! If we need 
genius, it is perfect genius, and that forever! If 
we need learning, it is perfect learning, and that 
forever! If we need eloquence, or pleasure, or 
fame, or power, or wealth, or rank, or office, — 
whatever we need, it implies constitutional and 
conditional perfection, and that forever ! 

Let me speak for you, one voice for humanity. 
I need a perfect soul. I need a perfect body, to 
contain, identify, and obey my soul. I need a 
perfect home. I need a perfect society. I need 
perfect employments. I need a perfect govern- 
ment. I need the fulness of eternal life, with 
God, in heaven. I need the attainment of my 
true destiny; to stand, as a perfect man, before 
the perfect God, acknowledged as His child, His 
image, and His heir. 

The Son of God knew this need, and therefore 



WORDS OF CHRIST. 341 

became the Son of man, that He might supply it. 
Therefore He appeared as the young Galilean car- 
penter, despised and rejected of men, but loved 
and accepted of the Father, making peace by the 
blood of the cross. Therefore, already overlook- 
ing the place of His crucifixion, He uttered the 
memorable prediction, "Heaven and earth shall 
pass away, but my words shall not pass away!" 
His words are words of pardon, words of purity, 
words of triumph over death, words pertaining to 
the resurrection of the dead and the inheritance 
of life everlasting. Did the stones of the Temple 
understand Him ? Did the palaces of Jerusalem 
catch His meaning? Did the mountains around 
the city, and the sky above it, startle at the 
sound ? Did heaven and earth, anywhere or in 
any way, show the slightest consciousness of His 
utterance ? Senseless, all senseless, utterly sense- 
less, these are the things that pass away. But some- 
thing was there, nobler than all these, — something 
destined to outlast all these ; to flourish only the 
more, and still more forever, when heaven and 
earth shall vanish like the dream of a night. I 
mean the immortal soul ! Jesus of Nazareth, the 
Son of God, the Saviour and Sovereign of the 
world, committed His words of redeeming and 



342 THE IMPERISHABLE AND SAVING 

sanctifying truth to the immortal soul of man, 
and therefore in form, as well as in essence and 
authority, they remain imperishable. 

And so, my friends, in conclusion, I this day 
commit these words to your immortal souls, that, 
by God's blessing, they may abide with you in 
saving virtue forever. Only four months ago, by 
these same fingers, the eyes of my dear little 
Jessie were closed in death. That was a more 
important event to me than the rise, progress, 
and fall of a thousand empires. Pity me, — oh, 
pity me ! I speak not for myself alone, but for 
all humanity, — one voice for humanity. Think 
of your own homes; of those you love, and have 
loved, and love only the more in death. We are 
all alike in these relations. And where is our 
hope of reunion with the lost? Ah, never would 
the Lord Jesus have uttered the words of the text 
had He contemplated merely a series of social 
changes. But He knew and sought our true in- 
terest. He fulfilled His humble ministry, and 
suffered and died that He might secure for us 
entire and eternal personal redemption, — an ele- 
vation above all earthly things, and the enjoy- 
ment of the fulness of His grace and glory in 
heaven. Let us cherish His spirit and imitate 



WORDS OF CHRIST. 343 

His example. Let us take due advantage of His 
mediation, and humble ourselves before God in 
all penitence and faith, that in due time we, with 
Him, may be truly and forever exalted.* 



* This last paragraph is an effort to recover the substance, at 
least, of a purely extempore close, — a half-restrained yielding tq 
natural impulses in hope of spiritual profit. 



30 



ADDRESS, 



Delivered in the Hall of the House of Representatives, on the Day 
of National Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer, Friday, January 
4, 1861. 



I. — THE OCCASION. 

On this day of national humiliation, fasting, 
and prayer, recommended by the President and 
accepted by the people, I desire, from this of- 
ficial position, to address to my countrymen, with 
equal frankness and reverence, a few words, in 
the name and by the blessing of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, to whom be 
all glory, as it was in the beginning, is now, and 
ever shall be, world without end, Amen. 

Two months ago, the Governors of our States, 
with unexampled richness of occasion and unani- 
mity of grateful joy, invited their fellow-citizens 
to unite in the celebration of a day of thanks- 
giving and praise. Then there was no section of 
the sky, suspended over any section of the globe, 

344 



ADDRESS. 345 

within whose cloudless horizon lay such a do- 
main of grandeur, beauty, plenty, and peace; or 
such a society of personal, domestic, civil, and 
religious freedom, wisdom, purity, power, and 
glory; as glittered upon the vision of men, and 
saints, and angels, and Christ, and of God Him- 
self, the Father of all, within the golden circle of 
the American Union. It might well have been 
anticipated that, on the opening of the appointed 
and hallowed festival, there would go up, through 
the serene and benignant brightness, to the very 
throne and heart of the Highest, such a concert of 
hallelujahs as no nation on earth ever offered be- 
fore. But was it so ? Alas ! though the day was 
so fair, and the feast so bountiful, and so many di- 
vided families re-collected in old homesteads, and 
the laugh of childhood was clear as the tinkling 
of a cymbal, and the songs of youths and maidens 
were merry as the chimes of a wedding, still, 
among all the mature and thoughtful and over 
all the elders of the land, there was a chilling 
gloom of shame, sorrow, and fear, and in all the 
temples of religion the cheerful tributes for Di- 
vine mercy in the past were checked, if not sub- 
dued, by lamentations over present human folly, 
and deprecations of future wrath and woe. 

And what now? Two weeks after Thanks- 



346 ADDRESS. 

giving, another proclamation was heard, — not 
made by a Governor and limited to a State, but 
proceeding from the President and extending 
"throughout the Union. ,, "Numerous appeals'' 
had been made to him, "by pious and patriotic 
associations and citizens, in view of the present 
distracted and dangerous condition of our coun- 
try, to recommend that a day be set apart for 
Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer," and, "in com- 
pliance with their request, and (his) own sense of 
duty," he designated this day, "Friday, the 4th 
day of January, 1861, for this purpose." 

Marvellous revolution! Hark! " The Union 
of the States is at the present moment threatened 
with alarming and immediate danger!" Two 
months ago, how different! Again: "Panic and 
distress of a fearful character prevail throughout 
the land!" Two months ago, how different! 
Again: "Our laboring population are without 
employment, and consequently deprived of the 
means of earning their bread!" Two months 
ago, how different! Again : "Indeed, hope seems 
to have deserted the minds of men. All classes 
are in a state of confusion and dismay, and the 
wisest counsels of our best and purest men are 
wholly disregarded!" From all this, how differ- 
ent, only two months ago ! 



ADDRESS. 347 

And so, in solemn haste, we are turned back to 
"the God of our fathers," as our only "resort for 
relief" "from the awful effects of our crimes and 
follies.' ' Instead of coming for thanksgiving, — 
though we have still infinitely more to be thank- 
ful for than we are worthy to enjoy, — we come in 
self-abasement, with self-affliction, and to pour out 
our souls in most penitent and earnest supplica- 
tion. Well may we thus come; for, this day, 
there is no section of the sky, suspended over 
any section of the globe, within whose clouded, 
flashing, and muttering horizon such scenes are 
witnessed of ingratitude toward God, disparage- 
ment of blessings, dishonor of national and uni- 
versal brotherhood, intent madness of fanaticism 
and pride, and terrific imminence of all possible, 
unspeakable, and perhaps endless evils, as those 
which disgrace and threaten to destroy, from 
centre to circumference, in sight of all mankind, 
this same American Union. 

Let us humble ourselves, is the exhortation of 
our Chief Magistrate; let us confess our sins; 
let us implore the removal of false pride; let us 
beseech God to restore friendship and good will; 
to save us from the horrors of civil war, and not 
desert us, but "remember us as He did our fa- 
thers in the darkest days of the Revolution, and 

30* 



348 ADDRESS. 

preserve our Constitution and our Union, the 
works of their hands, for ages yet to come." 
Amen ! and let all the people say, Amen ! 

II. — THE ANTI-CHRISTS OF THE AGE. 

But, just here, I come to a more timely, more 
important, and most imperative duty. Some 
may regard it as a divergence from the proprie- 
ties of the occasion. But I know that it is not. 
I know that the day, the place, the interests of 
the auditory, and of the outer auditory, even 
though it be of the continent or the world, de- 
mand such an utterance. In making it, I only 
attempt, by gracious assistance, to reach 

11 The height of this great argument, 
And justify the ways of God to men." 

See! Now, as of old, " there are many Anti- 
christs in the world:" persons, parties, powers; 
infidel, artistic, scientific, philosophic, economic, 
— from the merest skeptics to the sheerest deists, 
atheists, and anti-theists, — these, with their inven- 
tions, theories, systems, and instruments of influ- 
ence. Constitutionally, educationally, by proud 
and vain self-culture, and by the clique venom 
of mutual flattery and impious pretension, these 
enemies of God and man, taken just as they 
stand, in sum total of life, are haughty, con- 



ADDRESS. 349 

temptuous, narrow-minded, ignorant, shallow to 
simple shimmering, incapable of appreciating or 
even apprehending the highest truth ; blind, deaf, 
dumb, thoughtless, and heartless to the whole 
spiritual universe, and yet captivated by innu- 
merable brilliant but deceptive idealities, hallu- 
cinations of super-loftiness, with all manner of 
unequalled sublimities and elegancies of intellec- 
tual and moral contemplation. These are the 
Anti-Christs. They do not know Christ. They 
despise Him. They hate Him. They oppose 
Him. They say, — Any thing but Christ ! I need 
not call them fools. But one who was inspired 
of God did style them fools, and therefore, on 
Divine authority, which is decisive, they are 
fools. 

These Anti-Christs, like their master, are imi- 
tators, — meagre and miserable imitators. Reject- 
ing Christ's redemption, they fashion a substitute. 
Redemption? Certainly. What! human perfec- 
tibility true? Unquestionably. And actual per- 
fection in prospect? Most assuredly. In a word, 
say they, we too have an Evangel, a glorious 
Evangel; and our Evangel is, "There's a good 
time coming!" But where is it coming? To 
all the world. And how will it be marked? 
Well, the soil will be more fruitful, the air more 



350 ADDRESS. 

healthful, social conditions more equal, and life, 
nearly or quite exempt from disease, will be 
greatly prolonged. And when shall this good 
time come? Within the lapse of the innumera- 
ble and immeasurable ages. And by whose mi- 
raculous advent will it be introduced? Oh! we 
have nothing to do with advents or miracles : we 
have long since discarded the fables of our child- 
hood. It will happen so. It will be the natural 
result of the common and magnificent progress 
of our race. It will be the final triumph of the 
march of mind. And so, to the demoniac music 
of such a march as this, tramp, tramp, — tramp, 
tramp, — the hosts of Anti-Christ push through 
the darkness of time to the blackness of darkness 
in eternity. Sin in the past, sin in the present, 
and sin in the future ; sorrow in the past, sorrow 
in the present, and sorrow in the future; death 
in the past, death in the present, and death in 
the future: sin, sorrow, and death, — all utterly 
and forever" unredeemed! This is "the good 
time coming," the Evangel of Satan, the salva- 
tion of the world without a Saviour ! 

And so, at this stage of human progress, when 
it is inquired, What does the world need? these 
enthusiasts of superficial enchantments reply: — 
Let Japan be thrown open to commerce; let 



ADDRESS. 351 

China dust her buttons at the feet of the allied 
barbarians; let Russia annex Turkey ; let France 
annex Syria; let England annex Egypt; let Hun- 
gary humble Austria; and let the unity of Italy 
be completed by the subjugation of Venetia and 
the submission of Rome. But is this what the 
world needs ? 

And just so at home ! Here, therefore, under 
all this pressure of the burden of national humi- 
liation, fasting, and prayer, in the very crisis of 
our civil destiny, I justify this pause, this broader 
view, this introduction and consideration of inte- 
rests still superior, and infinitely superior, to 
those which we deplore as so awfully imperilled. 
Hear me, therefore, this day, O my fellow-men, 
fellow-citizens, fellow-Christians ! hear me this 
day, if ye never hear me again, and remember 
my teaching of this hour, if all my other teach- 
ing shall be forgotten forever. Especially, ye 
disciples of Anti-Christ, listen this once to one 
of Christ's disciples, — a disciple not without 
hope, however unworthy, — listen and think, if 
ye can think, and feel, if ye can feel, and pray, 
even though ye never prayed before, that ye may 
think wisely, feel truly, and after all be saved. 

What, then, do we need? Does the Highest 
behold, from His throne in heaven, that this day 



352 ADDRESS. 

is observed with due sincerity and solemnity 
throughout all our land? Is our humiliation 
acceptable? our fasting acceptable? our prayer 
acceptable? Are all our exercises acceptable, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord? And is the 
heart of our Father moved in our behalf, and 
does He incline to answer our petitions? Then 
lift up thy hoary hairs, thou aged and anxious 
President ! Lift up your heads, ye Governors of 
all our States ! And ye, prostrate people ! North, 
South, East, and West, arise, and stand in the pre- 
sence of God, and receive His blessing. 

Let the "distracted and dangerous condition 
of the country' ' be suddenly changed into its 
former estate of harmony and peace. Let the 
"Union of the States" be recovered and con- 
firmed. Let the "panic and distress" subside. 
Let our "laboring population" abound in work 
and wages. Let the "false pride of opinion' ' be 
removed. Let "friendship and good will" be 
restored. Let the "horrors of civil war" be 
averted. Let God "remember us as He did our 
fathers in the darkest days of the Revolution, and 
preserve our Constitution and our Union, the 
works of their hands, for ages yet to come." Let 
all we are thus prompted to pray for be granted 
unto us. Nay, more; being thus reconciled to 



ADDRESS. 853 

God and to each other, renewed in all our pros- 
perities, and exalted among the nations to greater 
power and glory than ever, let the admiring and 
sympathetic authorities of Europe — Denmark, 
Sweden, and Russia; Portugal, Spain, and France; 
Holland, Great Britain, and all others concerned 
— commend to our protection and resign to our 
rule all their American possessions ; and Mexico, 
Central America, and even Hayti, learn to con- 
fide in us, and claim our kindness and care, until, 
from the smallest mission in Greenland to the 
rudest fort near Behring's Straits, and all around 
by the shining isles of the Gulf and the smoking 
mountains of the Isthmus, the whole northern 
continent, with all its appurtenances, from the 
Bermudas to the Sandwich Islands, shall have be- 
come ours, — peacefully, honorably, happily ours, 
— with no desire or dream of secession or dis- 
union within all its bounds. What now ? Is this 
what we need? Would this be enough for us? 
Could this satisfy us ? 

Ay, ay ! shout the Anti-Christs. That is what 
we need ! That would be enough for us ! That 
well might satisfy us, whether God or man should 
work the change ! 

But cease your shouting, ye witless Infidels ! 
Be dumb as death, ye silly Anti-Christs ! This is 



354 ADDRESS. 

not what we need. This would not be enough for 
us. This could never satisfy us. All this, and 
infinitely more of the same sort, were "nothing, 
less than nothing, and vanity," in comparison 
with our true want. " For what shall it profit a 
man, if he gain the whole world and lose his own 
soul? Or, what shall a man give in exchange for 
his soul?" A man is more than South Carolina. 
A man is more than the United States. A man 
is more than the whole world. Since South Caro- 
lina determined to secede, how many hundreds 
of her citizens have died ! Since the President 
issued his call for this day of national humilia- 
tion, fasting, and prayer, how many thousands 
of the citizens of the United States have died ! 
Since the report of our dissensions went forth to 
other lands, how many myriads of mankind, in 
all the world, have died! And, before these dis- 
sensions shall be settled, how many millions 
more — some here, some there, some everywhere 
— will have died ! What did they want ? What 
do their survivors want? What, as one with 
them, do we want ? A change in the civil gov- 
ernment? or, the perpetuation of the government 
as it is ? Alas ! for the Anti-Christs ! 

And so it has been for six thousand years! 
The earth, smitten, ravaged, broken, parcelled 



ADDRESS. 355 

out among the nations ; the nations, relatively, 
increasing and diminishing; empires, rising and 
falling; governments, forming, flourishing, fail- 
ing; but, under all circumstances, at all times, 
and in all places, man — sinning, sorrowing, dying ! 
Such a world, O ye Anti-Christs ! if purposely 
made so, and hopelessly kept so, were a shame, 
a disgrace, a curse, to its Maker. And do ye still 
bespeak for it the innumerable and immeasur- 
able ages? Aha! God knows better and will do 
better! 

There is a Being, hidden from us, though not 
we from Him, clothed in our own nature per- 
fected and glorified, sitting and reigning at the 
centre and zenith of this universal circle of light 
and life, of whom it is declared: "In the begin- 
ning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 
and the Word was God." And again, "In the 
beginning God created the heavens and the 
earth:" for "all things were made by Him; and 
without Him was not any thing made that was 
made:" over whose creations, all perfect like 
Himself, "the morning stars sang together, and 
all the sons of God shouted for joy." This is He 
"whose goings forth have been from of old, from 
the days of eternity;" even "Jesus, the Christ, 
the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever:" 

31 



356 ADDRESS. 

into whose hands the Father has committed "all 
power in heaven and in earth ;" "in whom dwell- 
eth all the fulness of the Godhead, bodily ;" 
"whom, having not seen, we love; in whom, 
though now we see Him not, yet believing, we 
rejoice with joy that is unspeakable and full of 
glory, receiving the end of our faith, even the 
salvation of our souls;" and waiting for the end 
of our hope, also, even the salvation of our 
bodies, in the beauty and glory of the resurrec- 
tion. From the fall of Adam until now, not a 
year, or day, or hour, or moment has passed, but 
His eye has watched our planet, and His heart 
been intent on the redemption of our race. By 
the sufferings of His first advent He made an 
atonement for sin itself, and by the miracles of 
the second He will set us free from its conse- 
quences. At the close of His last prophetic in- 
terview with His latest surviving apostle, He de- 
clared: — "Surely I come, quickly; Amen:" to 
which the apostle replied, in behalf of the church 
and the world, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus !" 

I profess no skill, or assurance, in determina- 
tion of prophetic times and seasons. I simply 
wait on the Lord. Nevertheless, I cannot but 
understand that we are now nearly eighteen cen- 
turies nearer the fulfilment of the promise than 



ADDRESS. 357 

when it was given. Neither can I forget that 
many lines of prophecy, relating to the same 
great event, appear to converge about the present 
era. And neither can I be unobservant of the 
facts, that the world is now open from pole to 
pole, — that the Gospel has already performed its 
office, to a great extent, as a witness for Christ 
among all nations, — and that the condition of 
nature and society, everywhere, seems to invite 
Divine intervention for the resurrection of the 
dead, the transformation of the living, the judg- 
ment of all, the renovation of heaven and earth, 
the establishment of everlasting righteousness, 
and the universal development and triumph of 
the kingdom of glory and of God. 

All we can say, is, — and this must be said with 
infinite reverence, — "the sooner, the better:" the 
sooner Christ's time comes, the better for all who 
wait for His coming. If, amidst the conflict of 
empires, the revolution of kingdoms, the crum- 
bling of republics, and the consequent amazement 
and alarm of all mankind, we seem to hear a 
repetition of the promise, as just about to be 
realized, — "Surely I come quickly !" — let our 
hearts leap within us as we answer, "Even so 
come, Lord Jesus!" 

Here is our want, — Christ! " Thou, Christ! 



358 ADDRESS. 

art all we want!" He, essentially and truly, whe- 
ther known or unknown, is "the desire of all na- 
tions." Let the Anti-Christs say what they will, 
the only hope of the world is in Jesus Christ. 1 
shall gain my chief object, if I can only persuade you 
duly to remember this. Whatever personal dangers, 
or social dangers, may at any time press upon us, 
— however we may humble ourselves before God, 
and fast, and pray for deliverance from them; 
and even though our prayers be heard and an- 
swered, and the dangers which threatened us 
be removed, — still, in all conditions and at all 
times, our own supreme and most urgent want, 
and that of the whole world quite as well, is — 
CHRIST — Christ's person, Christ's spirit, 
Christ's advent, Christ's miracles, Christ's 
kingdom, Christ's government, Christ's people, 
and Christ's perfect and everlasting salva- 
tion ! 

iii. — the national crisis. 

Now, therefore, having borne this humble testi- 
mony in behalf of our highest interests, I return, 
for a brief interval, to this solemn crisis in our 
civil affairs. 

If what I have hitherto said be true, the best 
condition in which any nation can be placed is 



ADDRESS. 359 

that in which the people, personally and socially, 
have the best opportunity and facilities to under- 
stand, appreciate, obey, enjoy, and extend our 
Holy Religion. 

Here, therefore, I affirm, that — since the hour 
in which the Lord Jesus declared, "And I, if I 
be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men 
unto me," — His cross has never been planted in 
any land, or His redeeming attraction exerted 
upon any people, whose advantages, in these 
highest of all relations, bore any comparison 
with our own. 

The only difficulty in demonstrating this, is the 
want of time. But you do not need the demon- 
stration. "While I speak, the globe revolves in 
the light of thought, and you see that there is no 
other land like ours, — no land at once so ample, 
so varied, and yet so completely one, — no land so 
interlocked, north and south, through the whole 
range of both coasts, by indestructible mountains, 
— no land so interlaced, on both shores, and all 
over the interior, by innumerable rivers, ever 
lengthening their matchless courses by endless 
curves, as though they would leave no ravine 
unclaimed, and no hill unclasped, in all the 
common heritage, — no land so washed all around 
by lakes, gulfs, and oceans, sharply defining its 

31* 



360 ADDRESS. 

own bounds, but still holding it adjacent or oppo- 
site, open and accessible, to all the world besides, 
— no land, in a word, where the lay of the soil is 
so like the lift of the sky, immense, unbroken, 
and inseparable forever. Inseparable forever! 
What ! Would any divide it ? Let them make 
the Mississippi a hundred miles wide and a thou- 
sand fathoms deep, — an impassable line of per- 
petual storms. Would any divide it? Let them 
turn the Alleghanies and the Rocky Mountains 
east and west, and unite them in a Missouri com- 
promise that cannot be abolished. "He that sit- 
teth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall 
have them in derision." As easily might they 
fracture the firmament from sunrise to sunset, 
and from the north star to the equator. And so 
with our people. They, too, while I speak, ex- 
pand before you in the clear thought-light. The 
cross of Christ has drawn them together from all 
countries, and made them one. In the begin- 
ning a few Italians, a few Spaniards, a few Eng- 
lishmen, a few Frenchmen, a few Germans, a few 
Swedes ; but now, more than thirty millions, re- 
presenting nearly every nation under heaven ! 
In their little, isolated, native states and pro- 
vinces, they lived side by side for centuries, — 
estranged, embittered, hostile; diverse in Ian- 



ADDRESS. 361 

guage, government, religion; in arts, customs, 
and usages; shut up, apparently, to the bloody- 
necessity of everlasting strife. But here, on this 
vast, and equal, and happy area, — free from local 
traditions of prejudice, hatred, and war, — they 
have already mingled, and are still more per- 
fectly mingling, in one homogeneous mass, in- 
comparable in all the history of man. Remem- 
ber, they have not been driven hither, but drawn. 
By the attractions of religious liberty, and of that 
true civil liberty which flows from it, and by the 
long reserved plenty and quiet of a natural heri- 
tage worthy of both, Christ has drawn them 
hither. They have come, not as exiles, but as 
immigrants. They have come of grateful choice. 
They have come with impulsive admiration. 
They have come with tender sympathies and 
glowing affections. They have come on pur- 
pose to love us, and to be one with us. And so, 
their native lands, and governments, and govern- 
ment-religions, lose their interest ; and, little by 
little, their languages decline, and their habits 
become assimilated to our own; and presently 
our homes are their homes, and our churches 
their churches, and our States their States ; and 
we are all, and only and all we desire to be, men, 
Americans, and Christians, — the best situated of 



362 ADDRESS. 

all the nations on earth for the performance of 
the highest duties and the attainment of the high- 
est destiny of our race. 

And here let me proclaim anew our one great- 
est glory. I remember, indeed, that we are fond 
of boasting, — too fond of boasting. "We have 
many apologies for it, but no sufficient apology. 
Perhaps this is one of the chief sins, in confession 
of which we should this day humble ourselves 
before God. And yet, the one great glory to 
which I refer can never be remembered, and 
ought never to be remembered, without the most 
earnest rejoicing. The materialist boasts of the 
mineral, vegetable, and animal opulence of' the 
country. The intellectualist boasts of its arts and 
sciences, its literature and philosophy. The phi- 
lanthropist boasts of its institutions of benevo- 
lence. The statesman boasts of its Constitution 
and laws, its freedom, equality, and power. And 
the religionist boasts of its churches and societies, 
and all its endowments of piety and zeal. But it 
is not by any or all of these distinctions that we 
are elevated to the best position on earth for the 
understanding, appreciation, and practice, the en- 
joyment and extension, of our Holy Religion. 
We owe this to one distinction alone. I mean, 
the Bible, — the free and open Bible, — the uni- 



ADDRESS. 363 

versally circulated Bible, — the commonly ac- 
cepted, confessedly supreme, and divinely authori- 
tative Bible, — the only light in the gloom which 
now environs us, the only hope in the despair 
which presses on us ! "When I speak thus of the 
Bible, I do not idolize a book, — but allude, of 
course, to its living and active connections with 
the omnipotent agency of the Spirit of God, and 
the inspirations of that Spirit, as witnessed in the 
noblest motives, energies, and exertions of man- 
kind. Let the materialist go South with all his 
natural treasures. Can he buy back affection, 
union, and peace ? Alas ! pride is too strong for 
him. Let the intellectualist try it, and they will 
burn his books and break his instruments. Let 
the philanthropist try it, and he will need a hun- 
dred philanthropists to return him safe home. 
Let the statesman try it, and they will scoff at 
the Declaration of Independence, and trample 
the Constitution of the Union under their feet. 
Let the religionist try it, and he will find the 
fragments of broken churches and societies in all 
his path, his influence forfeited forever, and his 
former brethren praying against him, that God 
may confound his counsels and prevent the suc- 
cess of his devices. 

But, thank God! from the centre to the cir- 



364 ADDRESS. 

cumference of our confederacy, the Bible is still 
supreme. Its meaning may be disputed, but its 
divine authority is admitted. It is absolutely 
and inviolably sacred. No man, or set of men, 
would dare to add one word to it, or take one 
word from it. Here it stands, — the Book of 
Christ; the Brightness of His Glory; the Express 
Image of His Person; the Visible and Audible 
Angel of His Power; the Higher Law of the Na- 
tion, and the Highest Law of the World ! 

The South reads it historically; and, as though 
there were no progress, sanctions the present by 
the past. The North reads it prophetically; and, 
as though all progress were consummated, de- 
mands of the present the improvements of the 
future. Both parties mistake its current appli- 
cations. Oh, when I think of the inexhaustible 
and yet constantly accessible intelligence of this 
Book; its sublime and comprehensive philosophy 
of God and man; of Creation, Providence, and 
Redemption; of Nature, Grace, and Glory; of 
Earth and Heaven; of Time and Eternity; its 
innumerable adaptations to all classes and con- 
ditions of mankind; and its invariable tendency 
to enlighten, purify, elevate, and, in every way, 
save and bless persons and families, States and 
Nations; I am ready to exclaim, — Withhold your 



ADDRESS. 365 

reckless hands, and spare, O spare, our Union, if 
only for this unequalled privilege, that all our 
millions, over all our continent, with none to hin- 
der, but all to help, may study together, and yet 
understand alike, and then exemplify alike, the 
love and truth and purity of God, as revealed in 
the Holy Bible! 

And can it be, that South Carolina is deter- 
mined to destroy this Union? And can it be, 
that other States encourage her rebellion ? And 
can it be, that, suddenly as the evil has come 
upon us, it is already too late by any means to 
arrest it ? 

And now shall our enemies rejoice over us? 
Our enemies! Who are they? "Where are they? 
By the blessing of God, the world is full of our 
friends ! By the greatness of our Union, we have 
become a chief power among the nations; and by 
the fairness of our conduct, we have won their 
respect and affection. There was a time w^hen 
Columbus vainly sought, along our southern bor- 
ders, the golden roofs of Zipangu; but now, by 
a voyage three times as long, the Princes of Zi- 
pangu, excited by its fame and confiding in its 
honor, come to pay their respects to the richer 
world of Columbus. There was a time, and 
a second time, when Great Britain sent fleets 



366 ADDRESS. 

and armies to subdue our Colonies and ravage 
our States; but now she too sends her Prince 
and his train to mingle as equals with our people, 
and to stand with bare brows, and tearful eyes, 
and reverent hearts, at the hallowed tomb of 
Washington. No, no, — even China and Japan 
will mourn for the rent in the flowery flag! 
Even Africa, far from indulging a feeling of re- 
venge, will stretch forth her hands unto God, 
and pray for us! And as for the nations of 
Europe, gradually changed, even more than we 
hoped, by the grandeur of our progress and the 
value of our friendship, from revilers to admirers, 
— identified with us by ceaseless immigration and 
interchange of travel and intelligence; inspired 
by our spirit, and inclined rather to imitate our 
example than desire our injury, — England and 
France, Switzerland and Germany, Italy and 
Hungary, and many a generous and sympathetic 
power, will weep over us ! But, here at home, 
how shall we restrain our own tears, or who shall 
bind up our broken hearts? Alas for us! "0 
that my head were waters, and mine eyes a foun- 
tain of tears, that I might weep day and night 
over the slain of the daughter of my people !" 
Ah ! prophets of Judah and Israel, little did ye 
dream of our greater grief! Ye only lamented 



ADDRESS. 367 

the desolation of Zion, and of the hills and vales 
around it. But here is a vast and varied world, 
which Jehovah reserved through thousands of 
years, and has now disclosed, enriched and 
adorned, as the crowning beauty and glory and 
wonder of all time ! And shall such a heritage 
as this be sundered and destroyed? Clasp thy 
broken staff with shame, O flag of stars ! super- 
seded and dishonored by the pitiful palmetto ! 
Start from thine eyrie, thou eagle of the morn- 
ing! shake from thy pinions the dews of the 
night, and relume thy vision in the splendor 
of the sunrise, — lest the rattlesnake, crawling 
up the cliff, shall steal on thy slumber and 
strike thee unaware. God .be merciful unto 
us! — and has it really come to this? Vacant 
seats in the Senate; vacant seats in the House; 
vacant seats in the Cabinet; resignations in the 
Army; resignations in the Navy; resignations in 
the Judiciary; a secession convention; a seces- 
sion ordinance; a new oath of allegiance; Sab- 
bath sessions; secret sessions; commissioners 
from a foreign State ; warlike preparations ; sei- 
zure of forts and arsenals; seizure of betrayed 
ships; obstruction of the port-channels; slaves 
throwing up earthworks along all the coasts; 
freemen leaving their homes, camping out on the 

32 



368 ADDRESS. 

wintry strand, marching and counter-marching, 
in instant readiness for bloodiest conflict ! How 
shall we account for this universal enthusiasm of 
utter madness ? 

Slavery! The liberty of twenty-six millions 
imperilled by the servitude of four! It is said 
that the South loves slavery, and that the North 
abhors it : that the South is determined to main- 
tain it forever, and that the North is resolved to 
abolish it as soon as possible. It is an "irre- 
pressible conflict !" The States must be all slave 
States, or all free States. Therefore, the North 
hates the South, and the South hates the North. 
We are mortal enemies! 

It is false! all false! utterly false! In the 
name of God and man, I pronounce it essentially 
and eternally false. There is not now, there 
never was, in all the history of the world, an 
equal territory, with an equal population, so di- 
verse in origin and in minor interests, where, be- 
cause of the attraction of the supreme interests 
of religious and civil liberty, and of all forms of 
material prosperity, the people have so perfectly 
melted into one loving mass, as within the limits 
of this glorious and blessed Union. The country 
is too great for us. "We do not comprehend it. 
"We must rise higher and look wider. We have 



ADDRESS. 369 

mistaken the noise of sectional fanaticism for the 
common feeling and judgment of the mighty but 
silent nation. This day the whole land is in sur- 
prise and astonishment. I do not mean among 
our sensation cities, always excited and multiply- 
ing excitements; but hundreds and thousands of 
miles away, among the honest and quiet millions 
of the interior. 

Hark! Does this sound like hatred? "Our 
Southern brethren are in arms ! South Carolina 
has seceded. Other States are about to follow. 
They think we hate them, and are determined to 
oppress them. But it is not so. Are they not, 
equally with ourselves, men, Americans, and 
Christians? We love them, — purely and fer- 
vently love them. What do they want? Slavery 
in the States? Let them have it: not because we 
approve it, but because it is their Providential 
allotment, for the time being, and they alone are 
responsible for it. What do they want? Slavery 
in New Mexico? Let them try it: if they fail, 
the fault is their own, not ours. What do they 
want? The enforcement of the fugitive-slave 
law? This is the duty of the General Govern- 
ment; let it be performed. What do they 
want? The repeal of the personal-liberty bills ? 
If the States were ill-advised in their passage, let 



370 ADDRESS. 

them be repealed. What do they want? The 
privilege of slave-service at the national capital, 
and in their current transits through the land? 
Let them have it, without molestation, at their 
own unavoidable risk. "What do they want? 
Any thing less than a sacrifice of principle, con- 
science, and honor; anything reasonable, proper, 
and expedient; any thing that God may command 
and humanity yield? Let them have it, and our 
true love with it, and our prayers with our love, 
that the God of the Bible may overrule all events 
for His own glory, and the welfare of the nation 
and the world!" Does all that sound like hate? 

Pause, then, ye States preparing for secession ! 
Reconsider thy course, thou lonely State that 
hast seceded! Come back, South Carolina! 
come back to the circle of honest and earnest 
affection; come back, with God's blessing; come 
back, with the nation's welcome; come back in 
peace ; come back before a single drop of blood 
shall be shed! Blessed be James Buchanan ! if 
only for this one thing: that he will not, if he 
can help it, consent to the shedding of a single 
drop of blood. If he cannot help it, then be it 
remembered, that the Ruler "beareth not the 
sword in vain : for he is the minister of God, a 
revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth 



ADDRESS. 371 

evil." Let his skirts be clear. Let the skirts of 
the Army and Navy be clear. Let the skirts of 
the still United States be clear. But, Lord 
Jesus, thou who hast promised to " come quickly/' 
come now. At least, in all the healing love and 
pity of Thy Holy Spirit, come now. "Even so, 
come, Lord Jesus!" So shall all nations praise 
Thee, and, looking from afar, exulting in our 
restored, confirmed, and perfected Union, "Be- 
hold!" they will cry, as with one heart, and one 
voice, and one hope, "Behold, how good and how 
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity /" 

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with 
you all. Amen." 



32* 



AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 



A SHORT SERMON 

Delivered in the National Hall of Representatives, Sabbath morning, 
July 28, 1861. 



"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there 
is no power but of God : the powers that be are ordained of God." 
— Romans xiii. 1. 

I do not intend, on this occasion, a long, 
formal, or elaborate discourse. But I desire, 
with the blessing of God, to state, clearly and 
impressively, certain elemental truths of our 
Holy Religion, important to be remembered al- 
ways, but especially so in the current crisis of 
our affairs. 

By the "higher powers," the text plainly al- 
ludes to political sovereignty and its authorized 
representatives. Political sovereignty is not of 

human origin. It is a divine institution. 
372 



AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 373 

In this country, we say much of State sove- 
reignty and of United States sovereignty. But, 
strictly speaking, our sovereignty is the sove- 
reignty of the people. The people of the United 
States existed before the States were united. The 
people of every State existed before the State 
itself. When, in the course of God's providence, 
the due time came, and, with it, the due natural 
and social conditions, He brought the people to 
these shores as dependent colonists. Again, in 
due time, by the Revolution, He made them in- 
dependent, — a simple, elemental, popular, sove- 
reign power. In this capacity, He committed to 
them two great trusts, — the construction of the 
two great institutions, without which no com- 
munity can perpetuate a prosperous existence, — 
one civil, the other religious ; one the State, the 
other the Church. In the execution of these 
trusts, there was no external human authority to 
control or direct them. So far as other men, on 
all the earth and under the whole heavens, were 
concerned, they were absolutely free, — were at 
liberty to do all they would and could. God vir- 
tually said to them, " Behold, my people ! the 
continent is before you. I made it for you, and 
you for it. Here none shall molest or make you 
afraid. Build ye a State for yourselves. Build 



374 AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 

ye a Church for yourselves. Build ye a State 
and Church worthy your own dignity and des- 
tiny, worthy the imitation of the world, and 
worthy my progressive and redeeming dispensa- 
tions." 

But, while thus set free from human authority, 
were they left destitute of Divine guidance ? Not 
at all. There was a visible representative of Di- 
vine sovereignty among them, commissioned and 
qualified to superintend and modify the perform- 
ance of their appropriate work, and to which they 
humbly acknowledged their own sovereignty to 
be subordinate and subservient. I mean, of 
course, God's book, — the Holy Bible. As the 
people existed before the Union, before the 
States, and even before the Colonies, so the 
Bible existed before the people, — thousands of 
years before them; the angel in the cloud, to all 
the tribes of their ancestry, in all their wander- 
ings through the wilderness, from the earliest 
recorded ages of time. 

What then? By the instrumentality of the 
Bible, God prompted them to come hither. 
When they came, they brought the Bible with 
them. It was their highest distinction, their 
richest treasure, and their purest joy. It was 
to them, as it is to us, or ought to be to us, the 



AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 375 

highest law in all the world of the Highest 
Power over all worlds. Their twofold obliga- 
tion was, to found the State and found the 
Church, on the Bible; to make their State a 
Bible-State and their Church a Bible-Church. 
This was not because any human authority had 
any right or power to command them to do so ; 
but simply because God Himself, by His mar- 
vellous providence, so commanded them. No 
human authority would even have attempted 
such intervention. All human authorities had 
more or less dishonored the Bible. It was held 
under the foot of the State, and under the thumb 
of the Church. Therefore God, with a high hand 
and an outstretched arm, had conducted His 
people from the Old "World to the New. It was 
He who thus exalted the Bible in its new sphere, 
and from the beginning exacted obedience to its 
precepts. He made His people free on purpose 
that they might thus honor His book. 

But what is the history, what are the facts? 
Did they build up a Bible-State? Did they build 
up a Bible-Church? Is the Bible supreme, this 
day, in both State and Church ? If not, then I 
insist upon it that the people have been, and yet 
are, unfaithful to their trusts. And, if unfaith- 
ful, then I further insist upon it that it is not too 



376 AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 

late to repent, not too late to reform; and that 
it is still their imperative duty to fulfil the task 
at first assigned them, — to conform both State 
and Church to the doctrines and morals of the 
Bible. 

If any thing be plain, this gradation of sove- 
reignty is plain. The first sovereignty in our 
land is the sovereignty of the Bible, — represent- 
ing the sovereignty of God. The second is the 
sovereignty of the people, — representing the sove- 
reignty of the Bible. The third, in view of supe- 
rior numbers, though inferior interests, is the 
sovereignty of the State, — representing the sove- 
reignty of the people in secular affairs. And the 
fourth, relating to smaller numbers but greater 
interests, is the sovereignty of the Church, — re- 
presenting the sovereignty of the people in reli- 
gious affairs. Below all these are the divisions 
and diversities of popular sovereignty, exhibited 
by particular States and Churches, and all minor 
voluntary social institutions. 

It is greatly to be regretted that this grada- 
tion of sovereignty is not more generally under- 
stood, remembered, and practically acknowledged. 
There are men among us who deny, or doubt, or 
in some way habitually ignore, the sovereignty 
of the Bible, — as representative of God. In like 



AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 377 

manner, they deny, or doubt, or ignore, the sove- 
reignty of the people, — as representative of the 
Bible. And so, coming within the State sphere, 
as though there were no God and were no Bible, 
they treat the sovereignty of the people, in secu- 
lar affairs, as a natural right, a birthright, a right 
to be exercised without responsibility except to 
the will of a majority of their own number as ex- 
pressed by a legal vote, or the will of a minority 
as enforced by revolutionary violence. There- 
fore we so commonly hear it said, by zealous but 
ill-informed advocates of national sovereignty, 
that the Constitution of the United States is the 
supreme law of the land: as though this were an 
absolute and not a relative truth; as though it 
required no qualification; as though there were 
nothing beyond and above it; as though the 
national Constitution were the highest symbol of 
popular sovereignty ; as though there were no 
other to compare with it; as though it had be- 
come unchangeable; as though it had got to 
be superior to the people themselves, and were 
wholly independent of the Bible, and the God 
of the Bible. 

How strange all this is ! What is the national 
Constitution? It is one of the people's institu- 
tions ; one of their political institutions ; and their 



378 AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 

highest political institution: so much, and no 
more. Hark! "We, the people of the United 
States, in order to form a more perfect union, 
establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, pro- 
vide for the common defense, promote the gene- 
ral welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to 
ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and esta- 
blish this Constitution for the United States of 
America. " That is, this is one thing, and politi- 
cally the chief thing, that we, the people, choose 
to do, in exercise of our sovereignty: not pre- 
senting it as an unchangeable instrument, but 
providing for suitable amendments of it, and re- 
membering that the same sovereignty which now 
ordains it will always remain superior to it, and 
hold it in entire control. 

But what are the relations of this Constitu- 
tion? Here it is, especially, that the want of 
correct knowledge, or just appreciation of facts, 
already alluded to, becomes painfully evident. 
Hark again ! " This Constitution, and the laws of 
the United States which shall be made in pur- 
suance thereof, and all the treaties made, or 
which shall be made, under the authority of the 
United States, shall be the supreme law of the 
land." Here the zealous advocates of absolute 
constitutional supremacy are accustomed to stop. 



AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 379 

The Constitution is the supreme law! This 
sovereignty is the only sovereignty in the land! 
Christians, Jews, infidels, men of the world, we, 
in whole, are the people, and the national Con- 
stitution is our supreme law. Away with every 
other! Away with the heretics who assert any 
other! We intend to abide by this alone, and be 
governed by this alone. From all it prohibits, 
we will carefully refrain; but all it allows we will 
do at our pleasure, and none shall hinder us. To 
this extent, we are absolutely free. We confess 
no higher responsibility. 

Now, what nonsense all this is, and how un- 
speakably deplorable it is ! The sovereignty of 
the national Constitution is not absolute, but rela- 
tive. It is only a midway sovereignty. Above it 
are other sovereignties, to which it is subordi- 
nate; and below it are other sovereignties, which 
are subordinate to it. The sovereignty of the 
people themselves is above it, and the sove- 
reignty of the Bible is above the people, and 
the sovereignty of God above the Bible. Why, 
the relations of this constitutional sovereignty 
are not left in doubt. They are plainly declared 
in the very section a part of which I have just 
cited. And what are they? Does the article, 
after saying that this "shall be the supreme law 

33 



380 AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 

of the land/' proceed thus: "And the judges in 
every State shall be bound thereby," any thing 
in the sovereignty of the people, or of the Bible, 
or of God, "to the contrary notwithstanding"? 
Not a word like it. These are superior relations, 
— relations beyond and above it, over which it 
has no control, but on which it is entirely de- 
pendent. The specified relations are, of course, 
inferior; and therefore the article reads thus: 
"This Constitution, &c, shall be the supreme lata 
of the land ; and the judges in every State shall 
be bound thereby, any thing in the Constitution or 
laics of any State to the contrary notwithstand- 
ing." The article is directed, not against popu- 
lar sovereignty, or Bible sovereignty, or Divine 
sovereignty; but against the monstrous error, 
the awful heresy, the bloody dogma, as it has 
turned out to be, of State sovereignty, — either in 
opposition to, in secession from, or in rebellion 
against, the sovereignty of the Union. 

That was the design of our fathers. They 
never dreamed of superseding the higher sove- 
reignties by this merely political national sove- 
reignty. When they had ordained and esta- 
blished the Constitution of the United States, they 
regarded and confessed themselves as completely 
subject to the Bible and the Bible's God as they 



AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 381 

were before. Had it not been for the Bible, the 
Constitution could never have been ordained and 
established. If it embody true principles of hu- 
man rights, and sure promises of honorable per- 
petuity, its principles and promises are alike de- 
rived from the Bible. It has no value except as 
the Bible sanctions it. And if, in any respect, it 
is in conflict with the Bible, it should be made to 
conform to it. 

But now let us turn, for a little while, to the 
Church sphere, — representing the sovereignty of 
the people in religious affairs. Here we are at 
once struck by a great difference between our 
State and Church arrangements. We have even 
a greater number of separate denominations or 
churches than we have of individual States. But 
w r e have no general union of churches, no general 
ecclesiastical government, no common Christian 
constitution, not even "Articles of Confedera- 
tion.' ' Instead of a great national document, 
commencing, — "We, the Christians of the United 
States, in order to form a more perfect union, 
establish truth, insure tranquillity, provide for 
common prosperity at home, promote the con- 
version of the world abroad, and secure the bless- 
ings of our Holy Religion to ourselves and our 
posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitu- 



382 AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 

tion for the United Churches of America:" instead 
of any thing like this, and an article providing for 
amendments of such constitution, and another de- 
claring it to be, under God and the Bible, the su- 
preme law of the Christians in the land, and that 
the office-bearers in every church shall be bound 
thereby, any thing in the constitution or laws of 
any church to the contrary notwithstanding: in- 
stead of all this, or any thing like it, we have a 
promiscuous assemblage of separate and diverse 
ecclesiastical sovereignties, not divided by State 
or other territorial lines, but intermingling their 
forces, interests, rivalries, and courtesies all over 
the continent. Historically, the most of these, 
and especially the most powerful of them, are 
descendants of Old World colonists, with Old 
World creeds, rituals, ordinances, and usages. 
There has never been an American Ecclesias- 
tical Reorganization, to bring the churches into 
closer conformity with the Bible and greater 
unity and harmony among themselves. For 
want of this, in my humble judgment, there has 
been great loss of Christian influence. 

But, without stopping to notice any supposed 
imperfections, I wish to remark here that the 
American Church, under God and the Bible, is 
an institution of popular sovereignty as much as 



AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 383 

the American State; that the great mass of its 
members are evangelical Christians; that they 
are the main dependence of the nation for all the 
elements of moral and intellectual, if not, also, 
even physical power; and that they deserve to be 
better represented, and ought to be better repre- 
sented, and must be better represented, and when 
they become fully awake to their powers and pri- 
vileges, and learn how to exercise and improve 
them most efficiently, will be better represented 
in the administration of State affairs, — which are 
their own affairs just as much as church affairs 
are their own. Pre-eminently they are the 
people. The concentration of sovereignty is 
within their circle. They hold it in their hands, 
almost without knowing it, certainly without 
rightly using it. 

The theme is far, far too large and important 
for such an occasion as this. I merely teach, as 
already intimated, a brief primary lesson. 

For instance, what is the Christian doctrine of 
war? May the Church declare war, and prose- 
cute war? Not at all. May it even encourage 
w r ar ? I doubt this, — as a direct measure. The 
Church is a peace institution. It should preach 
peace, and in every way promote and encourage 
peace. The Church, so to speak, is not the 

33* 



384 AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 

people's proper war organ. It was designed for 
redeeming, and not destructive, purposes. But 
they have a proper war organ. It is the State. 
As citizens, they are joint possessors of State 
power, and responsible for the exercise of it. 
The State may declare war, and prosecute war. 
But what is its justification ? May it commence 
and carry on war at its own pleasure? Not at 
all. It is the most solemn performance of a 
sacred ministerial office, and must be fulfilled in 
the name and with the sanction of God. The 
context illustrates the whole subject. Let me 
read the text again, in its connection with sub- 
sequent verses : — 

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers: for there 
is no power but of God : the powers that be are ordained of God. 
Whosoever, therefore, resisteth the power resisteth the ordi- 
nance of Gou ; and they that resist shall receive to themselves 
damnation (or condemnation). For rulers are not a terror to 
good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the 
power ? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of 
the same : for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But 
if thou do that which is evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the 
sword in vain ; for he is the minister of God, a revenger to ex- 
ecute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs 
be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 
For, for this cause ye pay tribute also; for they are God's 
ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render, 
therefore, to all their dues : tribute to whom tribute is due ; 
custom to whom custom ; fear to whom fear ; honor to whom 
honor. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another ; for he 
that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." 



AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 385 

In ordinary cases, — cases concerning a single 
criminal, or a few criminals only, — war is not 
necessary. Punishment of evil is easily accom- 
plished, under such circumstances, by ordinary 
methods. But in extraordinary cases, — cases of 
extended treason and all-threatening rebellion, — 
war, in some form, becomes a necessity. Yet 
the nature of the act remains the same. It is an 
official duty. It is a ministerial punishment of 
evil-doers. There is no pleasure in it on the part 
of the magistrate, any more than there is on the 
part of God, — that is, if the magistrate act in the 
true spirit of his office. It is an awful, but im- 
perative, obligation, and derives all its propriety 
and dignity from this fact. The more blood on 
the sword, the more tears also ; and happy is the 
day when its blade may be restored to its bright- 
ness and returned to its sheath. 

What then? If war is to be thus justified by 
Christianity itself, as, for the time being, an in- 
dispensable State power and office, how shall it 
be conducted? Who shall be chiefly represented 
in its management? The worst part of our popu- 
lation ? wicked men ? ignorant men ? wild, rash, 
and cruel men? men who take pleasure in rapine 
and violence? men who fight for the love of fight- 
ing, and care not what amount of distress they 



386 AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 

create ? men who laugh at the Bible, and scoff at 
God? Are they to be chiefly remembered and 
respected by our authorities, and allowed to fill 
our camps with profanity, Sabbath-breaking, in- 
temperance, and all manner of iniquity ? Surely 
these are not the people. They are the rabble. 
The great masses of evangelical Christians, and 
all who sympathize with them in reverence of di- 
vine institutions, they are the people, the strength 
and beauty and glory of the nation. They are to 
be chiefly represented in the management of war, 
as in all other connections; the best part of our 
population; good men; intelligent men ; prudent 
men ; just men ; benevolent men ; men who de- 
plore the necessity of war ; men who believe the 
Bible and adore and worship God. They are to 
be remembered and respected, and such a dis- 
cipline established and enforced in the council, 
in the camp, and in the field, as they can approve 
and sustain ; such a discipline as will preserve in 
the army the highest moral tone, the majestic 
sense of law, and the solemn and immovable 
might of a good conscience. 

There is no Sabbath in war. Who says so ? Has 
God ever said so ? Does the Bible say so ? Do 
the people say so? Does the Church, or even the 
State, duly representing the people, say so ? Or 



AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 387 

is it an unauthorized assumption, — an arbitrary 
and infidel desecration ? The Jews regarded the 
law of the Sabbath as prohibiting war. In their 
later ages, indeed, they so construed it as to admit 
the propriety of a defensive battle. And, so far as 
I have noticed, they always made their defence 
good. But an onset was not allowable on the 
Sabbath. Neither, in my judgment, does Chris- 
tianity allow it. Nor can I hope for success 
under such circumstances. 

Our late battle was a Sabbath battle. It is said to 
have been specially ordered so, to provide a spec- 
tacle for civilians who could most conveniently 
attend that day ! Can this be true ? If so, who 
can wonder at the result ? 

Some forty regiments were there. Were there 
forty chaplains also, representing the Christian 
ministry of the country ? And were there hun- 
dreds or thousands of soldiers also, representing 
the membership of the churches of the country ? 
Why, then, was not the Christian sentiment of 
the country remembered and respected? Was 
that onset a work of necessity ? Not at all. Was 
it a work of mercy ? Not at all. Rather, it was 
a work of cruelty. The necessity was for rest, — 
for sleep, — for food, — for religious instruction and 
worship. Had the Sabbath been observed, as it 



888 AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 

ought to have been, in all probability, — that is, so 
far as we can see and judge,— the result would 
have been different. As it was, there was no de- 
feat, properly speaking. Never was greater bra- 
very exhibited, in the history of the world. And 
victory was almost assured.. But then, for wise 
purposes doubtless, the innocent were allowed to 
suffer for the guilty. Then came the punitive panic, 
— the judicial disappointment. And the civilians, 
for whom, it is said, the battle was ordered, be- 
came the instruments of overthrow. The " Na- 
tional Intelligencer" — perhaps the most trust- 
worthy of all journals, in an editorial, headed 
"The Truth of History," issued on last Friday 
— distinctly declares, "The panic, begun with some 
amateur toarriors, was communicated to the teamsters, 
and affected only a portion of the troops, who had 
been wearied by a ten hours' struggle without food 
or refreshment of any kind. The great body of the 
army maintained good order." 

Well would it have been for these civilians, 
and for their country also, if, instead of attending 
this Sabbath battle, they had been quietly assem- 
bled in the sanctuaries of the city, adoring and 
worshipping God in the beauty of holiness. And 
well would it have been for our army, as for our 
country also, if that Sabbath had been kept as a 



AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY. 389 

holy day, throughout all the encampments; if the 
bodies of the soldiers had been refreshed by food 
and rest, and their spirits refreshed by hymns and 
prayers, and the thousand conscience-cheerers of 
the "Word of God. 

If there were no commandment to remember 
the Sabbath-day and keep it holy, the very 
beauty of it, and blessedness of it, should make 
it regarded as the most charming of all human 
inventions or institutions. And surely, if six 
days out of seven be enough for working, six 
days out of seven are enough for fighting. I 
would that we might hope that henceforth there 
shall be no more Sabbath fighting, — at any rate, no 
setting of the battle, on our part, on this hallowed 
day.* 



* The sermon closed with some extempore remarks on the im- 
portance of attending, in the midst of all this uncontrollable 
strife, to the great work of personal salvation. 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 



A SERMON 



Delivered in St. John's [Rev. Dr. Seiss's) Lutheran Church, Phila- 
delphia, on the National Fast-Day, Thursday, April 30, 1863. 



"Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, 
This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting." 
—Mark ix. 28, 29. 

All the miracles of Christ are interesting, but 
this one is of peculiar interest. The record be- 
gins with the intimation of a very impressive con- 
trast. Our Lord had just come down from the 
Mount of Transfiguration ; and, from the amaze- 
ment of the people at His appearance, it would 
seem that somewhat of the glory w T hich distin- 
guished Him on the height was still glittering 
among the folds of His garments, and gleaming 
in the beauty of His countenance. Strange to 
Bay, gentle and glowing and loving as He was, He 
was immediately met by the dark scowl and bitter 

390 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 391 

malice of His old and unrelenting enemy, the 
prince of devils ! That is, the first sufferer brought 
to Him for relief was this poor youth, possessed 
by an evil spirit. But Satan is no match for the 
Son of God. On any cloud, on any mountain, or 
in any valley, the night may meet the morning; 
but how easily the morning dispossesses heaven 
and earth, and fills the world with the splendor of 
common and perfect day ! 

Our Saviour took three of the apostles with 
Him when He ascended the mountain; but the 
nine others remained below with the waiting mul- 
titude. It was during the absence of Christ that 
the young demoniac was brought to the place; 
and the father, being oppressed by anxiety in his 
son's behalf, and finding that nine of the apostles 
were there, hoped that they might suffice, in want 
of their Master, and therefore besought them to 
cure him. It may be that the apostles thought 
they could cure him; for previously to this occa- 
sion they had been sent forth on purpose to per- 
form such works, and had performed them. More- 
over, it is plain that in this case they tried to expel 
the demon, but failed. The reason of their failure 
seems to have been the subject of the great ques- 
tioning that was in progress when our Lord came 
to them. The scribes may have taunted them 

34 



392 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

with their want of success: — You say you have 
wrought such miracles in other places. How is 
it that you lack the power here ? Surely this is 
a case that appeals to all your sympathies. If 
you can relieve him, why not do it? Aha! Vain 
boasters are ye all! We do not believe you ever 
wrought a miracle ! 

In this condition Christ found them. It seems 
appropriate that He appeared to them with more 
than usual majesty, so as at once to encourage 
His disciples and overawe their opponents. Ad- 
dressing Himself directly to the scribes, He asked, 
"What question ye with them?" And just here 
is one of the most pathetic points in the narrative. 
The scribes did not answer. Neither did the 
apostles make any reply. Probably they would 
have spoken soon after; but one was there whose 
heart was too full of sorrow and solicitude to 
wait for any of them. This was the almost broken- 
hearted father. Falling on his knees before the 
gracious and glorious Redeemer, he cried out, 
"Lord, I have brought unto thee my son, mine 
only child. Have mercy on him, for he is lunatic 
and sore vexed; he has a dumb spirit, and wher- 
ever he taketh him he teareth him ; and he foam- 
eth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away; 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 393 

and I spake to thy disciples, that they should cast 
him out, and they could not." 

The case being thus pathetically stated, and the 
fault, not of one party only, but of all parties, 
being so manifest to the all-searching Spirit of 
divinity, " Jesus answered and said, O faithless 
generation, how long shall I be with you? how 
long shall I suffer you ? Bring him unto me." 
As though He had said, My disciples, indeed, have 
shown a great want of faith, and therefore a want 
of power, and so have exposed themselves to the 
reproaches of their enemies : but the fault is not 
theirs alone. It is the fault of the father also, 
and of all who sympathize with him and bear 
him company. The poor sufferer lingers in his 
agony because ye are all faithless. And here, my 
friends, is a great lesson, — a lesson relating to all 
Christian operations, and especially to all church 
enterprises. It is, indeed, important that the 
ministry shall believe, but it is no less important 
that the people shall believe also. "Without faith 
on the part of both classes, it is impossible io 
please God as a church, or to succeed in the true 
mission of a church. Faith must be the co-opera- 
tive social law. Moreover, it was even then neces- 
sary, and now it is still more so, to exercise faith 
in Christ though personally absent. He could 



394 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

not long remain with those who were then about 
Him; and, as to ourselves, He has never been pre- 
sent with us except by his Spirit. It is the unseen 
Saviour whom, as Christians, we love, in whom 
we believe and rejoice, and by whom we are 
saved ourselves and made the instruments of sal- 
vation to others. It is all a matter of faith; and 
without faith we are as weak as the men of the 
world. 

"Bring him unto me." As though He had 
said, While I am with you, I cannot neglect you. 
I must feel for you, and will show my sympathy 
by helping you. 

Then they brought the poor, miserable youth 
into the Saviour's presence. But, as soon as he 
saw Christ, the malignant spirit that possessed 
him "tare him, and he fell on the ground, and 
wallowed, foaming." Notwithstanding His ten- 
derness, Jesus remained calm. "And he asked 
the father, How long is it ago since this came 
unto him? And he said, Of a child. And oft- 
times it hath cast him into the fire, and into the 
waters, to destroy him; but," he cried, as if it 
was impossible for him to dwell longer on the 
mere history of the case while his dear boy was 
thus violently convulsed at his feet, "if thou 
canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 395 

help us." As though he had said, Oh, I do not 
know thee; I have heard of thee; it is said that 
thou canst work such miracles ; and if thou 
canst, — if thou art, indeed, superior to thy dis- 
ciples, and hast power to help us, — have pity on 
our sorrow, and grant us help at once. Look at 
my poor boy, and do not wait a moment. But 
Jesus, of course, knew all that was right and 
proper in the case, and acted according to the 
suggestions of His own infinite wisdom. "If 
thou canst believe,'' said He, "all things are pos- 
sible to him that believeth." As though He had 
said, The delay is not occasioned by any lack of 
either pity or power. The responsibility is thine, 
rather than mine. It is needful for thee to be- 
lieve. Canst thou believe? It did not take long 
for the father to decide. And, yet, how finely his 
honesty is developed, as well as his love and 
anxiety ! Great as was the pressure upon all his 
sensibilities and affections, intensely as he longed 
for the deliverance of his son, he could not pre- 
tend to more than he felt. Oh, the struggle in 
his soul! I would, if I could. I would do any 
thing for my son. What shall I do? Then, it 
may be, looking up into the face of Jesus, seeing 
the serene and shining countenance, so full of 
grace and glory, and so expressive of willingness 

34* 



396 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

and readiness to save, he was instantly subdued, 
and, bursting into tears, straightway cried out, 
"Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief." As 
though he had said, Oh, yes, yes! I will, I do 
believe : only I fear that my faith is not as per- 
fect as it should be! Lord, strengthen me, and 
help me to believe with all my heart! Hearing 
his agonizing cry, the people came running to- 
gether, and Jesus, satisfied with the answer, re- 
buked the foul spirit, saying unto him, "Thou 
dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of 
him, and enter no more into him." Ah, that, 
indeed, w~as more than His disciples, in all proba- 
bility, could ever have said ! Not only, Come out 
of him; but, also, Enter no more into him! A 
perfect cure, at once and forever! No wonder 
the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and so came 
out of him ; leaving him as dead, insomuch that 
many said, He is dead. It may be that he was 
dead, or so nearly dead that, if the disciples had 
tried to resuscitate him, they would have failed 
again, even though the devil was gone. "But 
Jesus took him by the hand," — oh, the thrilling 
virtue of that touch! — "and lifted him up, and 
he arose." Then Jesus "delivered him again to 
his father. And they w^ere all amazed at the 
mighty power of God." I wonder if the father 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 397 

ever doubted after that! Methinks lie must have 
been a whole-hearted believer as long as he 
lived. 

But the disciples, the nine apostles, how mor- 
tified they must have been ! A most painful state 
of feeling; but often very profitable, notwith- 
standing the pain, or, rather, because of the pain. 
According to the fuller record by Matthew, who 
was one of them, they came to Jesus apart, and 
said unto him, "Why could not we cast him 
out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your 
unbelief ; for verily I say unto you, if ye have 
faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say 
unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder 
place, and it shall remove ; and nothing shall be 
impossible unto you. Howbeit, this kind goeth 
not out but by prayer and fasting." The grada- 
tion here is this : 1. Fasting; 2. Prayer; 3. Faith. 
Comparatively, fasting is important; prayer, more 
important; faith, most important. Philosophically, 
fasting tends to the increase of prayer, and prayer 
tends to the increase of faith. The desirable 
result is, that we may be made strong in faith, 
and so, by good works, be enabled to glorify God, 
in the promotion of all human interests. With- 
out fasting, or rather without prayer, or rather 
without faith, — the sum and substance of all, the 



398 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

spirit in the absence of which all forms and efforts 
are nothing, — without this faith, we may attempt 
a thousand needful and excellent things, but fail 
in all; spend our whole lifetime in toil and sacri- 
fice, and exhaust our resources utterly in vain. 

And what now? Is there any thing in this 
history applicable to the peculiar demands of this 
occasion? — any thing in our national affairs ana- 
logous to the conditions of the parties here de- 
scribed? What a tempting opportunity for the 
exercise of oratorical ingenuity — what a fine 
opening for the exhibition of dramatic skill ! 
Alas for every thing contrary to the simplicity 
of the Gospel ! Yet see : — 

Our Lord himself, where is He ? Is He not 
personally absent from us? Is He not enthroned 
on the height of heaven, transfigured and illus- 
trious, seated in the immediate presence of His 
Father, and rejoicing "in the midst of His an- 
cients gloriously"? Are not many of His dis- 
ciples, elect statesmen and churchmen, some of 
whom we ourselves have knowm, and all of whose 
names are dear to our country, assembled with 
Him there, and do they not prove it to be good 
to be there? and do they not desire above all 
things to remain there ? 

But who are these on earth, waiting for our 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 399 

Lord's return? What great multitude is this, 
and why is it so greatly excited, and why is there 
so much questioning and disputation among the 
people? Is there not some case of great diffi- 
culty or trouble pending here? — some case of 
social lunacy? of demoniacal State possession? 
Who is the victim? Is it not the South ? "Who is 
the father ? Is it not the National Government ? 
Who are the disciples ? Are they not represented 
by the Border States and Free States of the East, 
West, and North? And who are the captious 
scribes, and the great concourse of spectators? 
Are they not England and the world at large ? 

And see how the matter, so far, has proceeded. 
The South has been possessed with an evil spirit, 
the devil of slavery; a foul spirit, foul beyond 
all utterance of foulness ; a dumb spirit, stifling 
all words of complaint, all groans of pain, and de- 
manding silence even of the commiserating world 
around it; a deaf spirit, deaf as the adder, and as 
deadly too, stinging and poisoning and destroying 
black and white alike, hearing the shrieks and 
heeding the agony of neither. 

At last, after long-continued affliction and 
mourning, the fatherly Government seeks relief 
for the lunatic son; brings him, in purpose, to 
Christ Himself, but, failing to find Him, implores 



400 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

the help of His disciples. The North — speaking 
now of all the free sections as one — looks upon 
the South with true sympathy ; detesting, indeed, 
the devil that works the woe, but pitying the 
victim who endures it. Calm in the assurance of 
its own sanity, confident in its great strength and 
ample resources, it has at first no doubt of its 
ability to do all that is required. "With certain 
expectation, therefore, and with a clear, loud 
voice, the command is given to the evil spirit to 
quit the sufferer and depart. But, as in the case 
of the Jewish exorcists of Ephesus, especially of 
the seven sons of Sceva the chief-priest, the 
attempt is a failure ; the adjuration is scarcely 
pronounced, when the evil spirit exclaims, " Je- 
sus I know; but who are ye?" and the South, 
inspired with demoniac fury, leaps upon the North, 
overcomes it, prevails against it, and the North 
flees from it, naked and wounded. Then England 
cries out, " Aha ! disappointed, are you ? Not so 
easy as you thought ! More mettle than you 
looked for ! The chivalry has better blood than 
you imagined !" And every scribe connected with 
her press, and every Pharisee pampered by her 
Church, all ranks of her social, civil, and eccle- 
siastical hierarchy, exult in the Northern reverse, 
and join in the haughty taunt, "You conquered 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 401 

us, did you, in two wars ? And you conquered 
Mexico, did you, since then ? And you were 
quite sure you could quickly conquer the South, 
were you ? Why don't you do it ? You can't ! 
You see you can't! There's no use in trying! 
You had better give it up !" 

Alas for the poor North! How every true- 
hearted patriot and Christian laments the result! 
But it would never do to abandon the case at this 
juncture. The very song of the children becomes 
a quickening prompter, " Try, try again !" And so 
another trial is made, and another, and another, 
and yet another ; nay, such trials are continued 
for weeks, and months, and even years. True, 
sometimes the North appears to succeed. For a 
while the violence of the demoniac is subdued. 
But it is only for a little while. Soon the resist- 
less paroxysm returns. And who can hope in 
such a contest ? Now the South flees, " naked and 
wounded;" and again the North flees, " naked 
and wounded." Both parties stream with blood, 
and still the evil spirit retains his possession. 
Still, also, the scribes and Pharisees multiply their 
cutting sarcasms. "'Tis all in vain ! — worse than 
vain. You are as mad as the South. Why don't 
you stop, and let the devil hold his own in peace?" 

And what now? How did the apostles act 



402 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

after their failure and in the midst of their 
shame ? We are not told. The record is silent 
on this subject. But we may suppose that they 
said, each in his heart, and perhaps openly one to 
another, Oh that our Lord and Master would 
come down from the mountain ! We have almost 
forgotten Him. We have trusted too much to 
our own strength. Therefore we have failed, and 
exposed ourselves to all these insults. Perhaps 
they looked up toward the height, and breathed a 
prayer for His return. 

So with us of the North. We have been ready 
to say, as indeed the Israelites in the Desert said 
of their great leader while secluded in Sinai, "As 
for this [Jesus], He who brought us up from the 
land of our captivity, we know not what has 
become of Him." Christ has been in heaven so 
long that, to us, He has become as one dead, or, 
at least, as one lost. We have forgotten Him. 
But now we see our sin and confess it. So, in 
the form of the President's proclamation, we say, 
" We have forgotten God." This is the burden 
of the national confession. We have forgotten 
God ! We have assumed the place of God our- 
selves. We have arrogated to ourselves His attri- 
butes, claimed as our own His achievements, sub- 
stituted our law for His law, and presumed thereby 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 403 

to determine our future destiny. More successful 
than Adam, while he merely sought divinity, we 
have secured it! So we persuaded ourselves. 
But now we see our folly. Now we feel our folly. 
Now we deplore our folly. Alas for us, of our- 
selves we are " nothing — less than nothing — and 
vanity !" Oh that we might see one of the days 
of the Son of man ! Oh that Christ would come 
back to us ! Without Him, as He himself fore- 
warned us, we "can do nothing." We have 
attempted more than we can accomplish. Oh for 
His help, to rescue us from failure and make us 
successful ! 

Well, now suppose that the Redeemer gra- 
ciously appears in our behalf. We are more 
amazed than was the multitude of old. He 
inquires, first, Why all this questioning? The 
North says nothing. England says nothing. But 
the Government, father-like, cries out, Lord! I 
have brought unto thee my son. Have mercy 
upon him. He is lunatic and sore vexed. He 
has a dumb spirit. Wheresoever he taketh him, 
he teareth him; and he foameth, and gnash eth 
w T ith his teeth, and pin eth away; and I brought 
him to thy disciples that they should cast him 
out, and they could not. Jesus answers, " faith- 
less generation ! how long shall I be with you ? 

35 



404 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

How long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto 
me." So the South is presented to Christ And 
what a pitiable spectacle it is ! Did Jesus Him- 
self ever see a case so sad ? And, lo ! as soon 
as the South looks into the face of Jesus, the 
demon tears his poor victim. He falls to the 
ground, and wallows, foaming. Jesus speaks to 
the Government, "How long is it ago since this 
came unto him ?" And the Government answers, — 
oh, so sorrowfully! — "Of a child! And ofttimes 
it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, 
to destroy him ; but" — more earnestly still the 
fatherly cry continues — "if thou canst do any 
thing, have compassion on us, and help us !" 
Jesus saith again unto the Government, "If thou 
canst believe, all things are possible to him that 
believeth." And straightway the Government 
cries out, with tears, "Lord, I believe; help thou 
mine unbelief!" So bitter is this cry, that all 
within hearing hasten toward the scene of interest. 
And Jesus, not wishing any further embarrass- 
ment of the case, promptly rebukes the foul spirit, 
and commands him, saying, "Thou dumb and deaf 
spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter 
no more into him." And the spirit fairly shrieks 
with malice and spite, and sorely rends his wretched 
subject, and comes out of him; and he lies upon 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 405 

the ground as one dead, and some say, He is 
dead; but, lo! Jesus takes him by the hand, lifts 
him up, helps him to stand, and so delivers the 
poor South to the Government again, restored 
and in his right mind, never, — for here is the 
beauty of it, the glory of it, the everlasting joy 
of it, — never to be repossessed by the devil, free 
from slavery at last, and certain of remaining so 
forever! And what has England to say now? 
"What say her scribes ? What say her Pharisees ? 
Do they say, It was a great mistake to expel the 
devil, with so much pain ? It would have been 
better to let the poor South remain as he was ? — 
What! remain as he was! Subject to renewed 
attacks forever ! Falling into the fire still ! Fall- 
ing into the water still ! £Tear being destroyed 
every moment still ! Oh, no, no, no ! rather let 
England say, and the world say, " It is the Lord ; 
let him do what seemeth him good!" And as 
for the disciples, what do they say ? What can 
they say, except simply to inquire, " Lord ! why 
could not we cast him out?" And what can the 
Lord answer, but this, "Because of your unbelief; 
for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a 
grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this 
mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and 
it shall remove ; and nothing shall be impossible 



406 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

unto you. Howbeit, this kind goeth not out but 
by prayer and fasting." 

And what now ? "Will this do ? Is such an 
analogy sufficient for the occasion ? Not at all ; 
not at all ! The case is not as thus represented. 
We have no reason to expect a miracle. Christ 
is in heaven ; and there He will abide until the 
time appointed for the accomplishment of a far 
greater work than this shall require His personal 
attention. The difficulty is left to our own man- 
agement, under ordinary earthly circumstances. 
The Government and the North must settle it, 
under God, themselves. Besides, the representa- 
tion of the South as the only child would not be 
correct; neither would it be just, without quali- 
fication, to describe it as lunatic and possessed 
with a devil, especially if in contrast to a sane 
and wise and innocent North. Allowance would 
have to be made for much individual piety, intel- 
ligence, and general good character in the South, 
however for the time perverted and misled. 
Similar allowance would have to be made for 
individual examples of ignorance and corruption, 
of wickedness and worthlessness, in the North ; 
notwithstanding the array of much of all, as a 
fighting force, on the side of what we esteem to 
be right. As for England and other nations, the 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 407 

allusion to them, perhaps, might stand, as not 
seriously amiss. But, upon the whole, I could 
not work such an analogy efficiently, for fear of 
doing injustice to some of the parties in the case. 
And there is nothing under heaven that so com- 
pletely takes the soul out of an orator, and makes 
him speak like a mere automaton, as a doubt of 
the truth of his utterance, or a fear that what he 
says is not just. If you would have an orator all 
soul, — a pure, celestial fire, burning and blazing 
gloriously as an archangel fresh from the throne 
of Omnipotence, — fill him with the truth, and 
assure him of the justice of his cause. Then, if 
he ever knew what genius and passion are, their 
real divine virtue, he will set sky and earth and sea 
in flames, if necessary to the accomplishment of 
his patriotic, philanthropic, and Christian purpose. 
Even I, therefore, discarding, of course, all preten- 
sion, must drop this analogy for simpler, plainer, 
purer doctrine. And what is that ? Why, leaving 
all circumlocution, and pressing straight onward 
in my speech, it is this: — "We may fast as much as 
we will, and pray as much as we will; but, unless 
our fasting increase the fervency of our praying, 
and our more fervent praying increase the might 
and majesty of our faith, all our efforts will end 
in irreparable and everlastingly disgraceful failure. 

35* 



408 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

Unless we go forth to the battle in the fulness of 
a true, pure, trustworthy, equalizing, elevating, 
and almighty faith, — the faith of a holy Christian 
democracy, — as opposed to all the blandishments 
and all the selfish, degrading, and destructive 
tyrannies of an infidel and insatiable aristocracy, — 
our sacred Union is dissolved forever; our sacred 
territory is divided forever; our sacred liberties, if 
not destroyed, are impaired, imperilled, and shorn 
of half their glory forever; our sacred example is 
darkened and dishonored forever; and our sacred 
mission in behalf of all humanity, for all lands and 
all ages, is basely and ruinously forfeited forever. 

The two sections assert opposite systems. It 
is impossible for both to be true. We must 
decide w T hich is true, and give our faith, and our 
life with our faith, to that, and that alone, and 
that forever. 

The South asserts slavery. Slavery is right. 
Slavery is a good. Slavery is sanctioned by the 
Bible and by the God of the Bible. Slavery is 
constitutional. State sovereignty is constitutional. 
Secession is constitutional. While the Union 
lasted, slavery gave us inestimable advantages. 
Slavery enabled us to rule at our will four millions 
of black people. Slavery enabled us to rule at 
our will seven millions of poor white people. 

8* 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 409 

Slavery enabled us to divide the North, and so 
rule at our will twenty millions more of white 
people. Slavery enabled us to secure and hold 
the General Government, and so rule at our will, 
in whole, more than thirty millions of people. 
And so fond are we of rule, that we would not 
belong to a government which we could not control. 
Now that the Union is dissolved, and we are an 
Independent Confederacy, though our rule wall be 
more limited, it will be more complete and less 
disturbed. Free from the everlasting annoyance 
of the contemptible hypocrites and fanatics of the 
North, we will keep the black man under one 
foot, and the poor white man under the other, 
and there shall be none in heaven or earth to say, 
Remove your feet, and let the down-trodden arise. 
We will re-open the slave-trade, and, at our plea- 
sure or according to our interest, multiply its 
horrors a hundredfold. "We will cultivate sym- 
pathy with all the aristocracies and monarchies 
of Europe. We will encourage and strengthen 
them. "We will give the lie to all our former pro- 
fessions of republicanism; and, making slavery 
the corner-stone of our institutions, we will put 
the Bible in that corner-stone, seal it up, bury it, 
build upon it, and so proceed, cementing every 
layer of stone with blood and tears, until we 



410 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT ? 

reach the top-stone, ^shouting over that, at last, 
Democracy is a humbug ! Republicanism is a 
failure ! Cotton-lords are we ! Cottondom is our 
kingdom ! Cotton is our king ! And the God 
of cotton is our God, and the God of our children, 
and our children's children, for ever and ever ! 

What now ? Can we pledge our faith and devote 
our allegiance there? Impossible! Essentially, 
formally, utterly, eternally, unspeakably impos- 
sible ! "We must antagonize the whole theory. We 
must assert liberty! Slavery is wrong; liberty 
only is right. Slavery is evil ; liberty only is 
good. Slavery is not sanctioned by the Bible. 
As with all other evils, so with this, the Bible 
suffers it, but provides redemption from it. Li- 
berty only is sanctioned by the Bible and the God 
of the Bible. State sovereignty is not constitu- 
tional ; but liberty only. Secession is not consti- 
tutional. While the Union remained, slavery de- 
luded and blinded the nation. Its least mischief 
was wrought among the blacks. It corrupted and 
perverted the aristocrats themselves; changed 
them from witnesses for God and humanity into 
witnesses for Satan and self, and, practically, by 
their agency, nullified the constitutional guarantee 
of a republican form of government for every 
State, and, w 7 ithin its own limits, trampled repub- 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 411 

licanism in the dust. At the same time, it ate 
out every thing vital in the Church. Instead of 
educating, elevating, enriching, and encouraging 
the Christianization of the non-slaveholding popu- 
lation around it, it made that population perhaps 
the most ignorant, irreligious, embruted, and 
wretched white population on the face of the 
earth. Its influence on the North was the haugh- 
tiest and vilest, the proudest and meanest, the 
most seductive and the most contemptuous, that 
ever divided, demoralized, and humbled a free 
people. It made our general Government, against 
all the instincts, traditions, and professions of our 
history, against every pulsation of every honest 
heart in the land, the hypocrite of nations ! — the 
protector of pretended lovers of freedom, who in 
reality were the most arrogant despisers of fra- 
ternity and equality, and chief swindlers of the 
rights of mankind. And, since the attempt to 
sunder the Union, — which, thank God! is yet 
only an attempt, and destined, I trust, to speedy 
and perpetual disappointment, — all this, and more 
than this, has come out, and is boldly emblazoned 
on every rebel banner, and everywhere flaunted 
in the vision of heaven and earth. How they 
hate and persecute to the death the comparatively 
few Union men of their own States who have not 



412 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

yet been cowed into submission ! How they hate 
the multiplying Union men of the half-rescued 
Border States, and how ready they are to plunder 
and murder them ! How they hate the more 
numerous Union men of the wholly-rescued Bor- 
der States, and denounce their preference of 
liberty and Union to slavery and secession ! How 
they hate the freemen of the Middle States and 
Eastern States and Western States, classing them 
all as Yankees and Hessians, cursing them with 
bitterest curses, and spurning every thought, even 
the gentlest and kindest, of any thing like re- 
union with us! How they disown and despise 
us, as all of another and inferior race, — baser than 
they, both in blood and spirit ! And where are 
their embassadors? Are they anywhere, in any 
land, among the people ? Or, as strangers to the 
people and scorners of the people, do they seek 
shelter and warmth under the wings of foreign 
aristocracies, and peep from the shade of such 
patronage, and mutter in the ears of such audi- 
ence ? 

Body and soul, with life, fortune, and sacred 
honor, in the name of God and man, — of the 
Fatherhood over all and the brotherhood among 
all, — we go for liberty, true liberty, honest, ear- 
nest, equal, open-hearted, open-handed liberty ! 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT I 413 

All ! how well I remember the exclamation of a 
Virginian, at the ratification of the nomination 
of General Scott for the Presidency, in Monu- 
ment Square, Baltimore! "Our heroes remain, " 
said he, "but our orators have departed !" Even 
then I thought, No wonder ! for, as Longinus de- 
clares, "No slave can be an orator;" and we may 
still more truly affirm, No advocate of slavery can 
be an orator ! Ten thousand advocates of slavery 
would fail to make one real, genuine orator. The 
soul of the true orator is not a compound of such 
selfish atoms. No, no; it is the great breath 
of the Almighty, the inspiration of divine liberty. 
This it was that made Patrick Henry an orator : 
never more so than when he clasped his hands, 
and looked up toward the God from whom his free 
spirit descended, and cried from earth to heaven, 
"Give me liberty, or give me death !" 

Yes, my friends, my brethren, my Christian 
brethren, we go for liberty! We go for liberty 
even for the aristocrats themselves. We do not 
hate them; cannot hate them; would not hate 
them if we could. We are infinitely too happy 
in our own nobler, broader, and sublimer faith, to 
hate even the proudest, bitterest, and worst of them 
all. All we want is to see them converted ; or, 
if that cannot be, to see them transported to their 



414 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

transatlantic kith and kin, to the European para- 
dises of aristocracy, to the palaces and gardens of 
all who prefer self to the redemption of the world. 
Whatever comfort such exclusiveness can give 
them, — and, doubtless, they would scarcely ask 
any better, — let them have it ! 

But, next, we go for liberty to the poor blacks; 
not an insurrection, but a resurrection. And, 
next, we go for liberty to the poor whites, — a still 
wider and more glorious resurrection. And, next, 
we go for liberty to all the Union men of the 
South, — another resurrection. And, next, we go 
for liberty to the whole sweep of the continent, — 
north, south, east, and west, from lake to gulf, 
and from ocean to ocean, — one heritage for all 
people. "Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, 
now and forever,'' for ourselves and our children, 
our race and the world, as long as time shall last 
or even immortality endure ! 

What then? Is this right, or wrong? Is this 
true, or false ? Is this good, or evil ? We must 
decide, or, rather, we have decided. This is right, 
is true, is good. This is our faith. With this 
faith, we go forth to the battle; sad, indeed, that 
there must be any battle; loving our enemies, 
praying for them, and yet pressing on them, — not 
so much because they are our enemies, as that 



WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 415 

they are the enemies of truth, right, and good ; 
enemies of liberty, fraternity, and equality ; ene- 
mies of civilization and Christianity ; enemies of 
God and man: even if honestly so, still only the 
more efficiently so because of their honesty, and 
therefore the more resolutely to be met, and op- 
posed, and subdued, and put down, and kept 
down, for ever and ever. Either this, or we our- 
selves must be put down; and republicanism 
must be put down ; and aristocracy exalted ; and 
liberty destroyed; and slavery rattle its chains, 
and utter its groans, and drop its blood, through 
all the ages ; and our holy religion itself be cru- 
cified between thieves, with little hope of its ever 
living again. "We may fast, but this is not enough ; 
we may pray, but this is not enough : we must 
believe, or we can do nothing. We must sacrifice 
every thing w r e have to our faith. There is no 
room for treason here ; no room for divided sym- 
pathy here ; no room for timid shrinking here ; 
no room for hesitating and vacillating caution 
here ; no room for equal matching and chivalrous 
duelling here; no room for jealousy and self- 
seeking here ; no room for partisan plottings and 
counter-plottings here ; no room for invidious 
distinctions between the Government and the 
Administration here; no room for any thing 

36 



416 WHY COULD NOT WE CAST HIM OUT? 

under God's heaven or on God's earth but the im- 
mense, simultaneous, outnumbering, overpower- 
ing progress of a grand, national, judicial pro- 
cess, solemn as death, sublime as eternity, and, 
by the grace of God, resistless as Omnipotence : 
the necessity of love ; the recompense of hope ; 
the magnificent march of faith, in triumphant 
vindication of all that is noble in man and worthy 
of his Maker. 



t/7 



U 



